Just out of prison
by fivealive123
Summary: Set the day that Dom gets out of Lompoc and the events that transpire. Main focus is how Dom adjusts to coming back and building those relationships that he lost - and working to become King of the Streets
1. Chapter 1

Just out of prison and all he knew was that there was no way he was ever going back. Lompoc had been worse than he imagined. Of course, everyone has seen prison on television, but the reality of prison made Dom sure that he would die before ever returning. And, he had the unfortunate advantage of pissing enough people off while in prison, that he was pretty sure they would kill him if he ever went back. Good behavior…that's relative. What else did he have to do? That was his only option to not serve the other two years of his sentence. And now he felt a sense of freedom he had never felt before; like he could do anything.

Mia came to pick him up the day he got out. At least he had gotten the opportunity to teach Mia how to drive before he got busted. And, she made him proud. Dom had worked a long time on Mia's car. Knowing she would never race, it just wasn't in her nature, she had the luxury of having a lot of time and energy poured into her car without any damage. In fact, she couldn't even smoke the tires from a dead stop unless the rear gear ratio was changed. She had the skills to race, and she sure had the car. But, Mia did not hang around to do the racing. She hung around it because it was all she ever knew. Their Dad used to race and now Dom raced. To Mia, racing was a "guy thing". It did not stop her from showing off at a few random stoplights from time to time, though.

Mia took Dom home. She talked to him a lot in the car, but it was hard for Dom to listen. Mia had come to visit him a lot in prison. Letty had come a lot also. Leon, Vince, and Jesse had even managed to make the 175 mile drive a few times a year to check in on him. But, mostly he communicated with Mia via letter and kept up with what was going on with the team and with his Dad's shop. But, he wasn't used to small talk and realized how ridiculous it was. He just wanted to be as far from the prison as possible. All he had really been able to see in the last two years was Vandenberg Air Force Base and he did not care much for it either.

After about two-and-a-half hours they were back at the house in LA. Dom had tried to listen to Mia talking for, well practically the whole time, about things that had happened and how glad she was he was out. Mia had suffered a lot in a very short period of time. Their Mom had died when they were young. And, then their Dad got killed, Dom got arrested and it just left Mia. But, with the team, you were never alone. There was always someone to be there. And, Dom knew that Vince and Leon would watch out for Mia.

When Mia pulled up in the driveway of their parents old house, now belonging to them- including the mortgage- the team was there. It had been a while since any of them had actually made the trip up to Lompoc. He felt comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. Dom's parole officer had told him that the transition from a medium security male prison back to "regular" life may present its challenges. But, now, he didn't even know what to say to these people, his family, his team that had stuck with him and protected his sister these last two years. It was hard to believe that he used to be a chatty guy. Now, it seemed like nothing was important enough to say. You don't get in trouble if you don't say anything. Hell, people even say you have "good behavior".

"Hey guys", Dom said, closing the door and stepping away from Mia's car.

"Dom, welcome back man," Leon said, handing him a nice, cold Corona.

"I've missed this," Dom said taking a swig of the beer. He looked around at all of them, standing there just sort of looking at him.

Letty had changed since last time he'd seen her. He and Letty had always had something special. She grew up with them in the neighborhood. At first, he was hoping she would pair up with Mia and leave him and Vince alone. But, as soon as she could differentiate between a wrench and a hammer, she was in the shop learning from Mr. Toretto. She always seemed to care more about gear shifters than guys. But, he was glad she had stuck around. Mr. Toretto's shop had stayed open thanks to Leon, Jesse, and Letty. Vince pretended to work on cars sometimes but never had the natural skill that the other possessed. Letty had grown up before Dom's eyes. He had seen her change overnight from a scrawny tomboy into a very attractive tomboy with nice boobs that liked to work on engines. Dom and Letty had just started taking things up a notch when he got busted. At least he didn't get busted for being with an underaged girl. But, some things are worth it.

"Well come on in brother, there is more where that came from," Vince said, putting his arm around Dom's shoulders. This made him wince a bit, not enough to be noticeable though. He wasn't used to people touching him lately. The last time anyone had touched him had been with a fist in his face in the yard of the prison. But, Dom was never afraid of a fight. And, he had never lost a fight- a fact that would give him in trouble later.

When he went into the house he noticed that nothing had changed. It looked the same. It smelled the same. This was a comforting feeling. He decided the easiest thing for him to do would be to get drunk. Having not really drunk much alcohol in two years, it was a surprisingly easy habit to pick back up. Eventually he loosened up some and felt a lot better. After everyone had downed at least four or five Coronas, spirits seemed to be lifted and it began to feel a lot more like old times. He saw Letty get up and walk upstairs to go to the bathroom. He knew he wanted to talk to her. Actually, he wanted to rip her close off and have sex with her, but one step at a time. She hadn't acted any differently to him and he wanted to know what was going on with her…and with them. He had never been one to show a lot of public displays of affection- well, that actually depended on whether or not he'd just won a race or not. But, seeing Letty now, he wanted to find out. He got up and started walking upstairs.

"Hey, where you goin' brother?" Vince said with a knowing smile on his face.

Dom just shot back a cocky little grin.

The team knew what was going on with them. But, no one really talked about it.

He got to the top of the stairs and noticed that Letty had not come into the bathroom. So, he looked in his room. There she was. Standing there…had she been waiting for him?

He walked in and she looked up at him.

TBC

---

Working on Chapter 2. feel free to review

AJ


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey," he said smiling at her. It was a little awkward, but in a good way. It felt the same way it had the first time they ever admitted their feelings for each other.

She just gazed up at him with her eyes. Her eyes were so dark they were practically black. She didn't speak a word but her eyes showed a lot. They showed pain and sadness. They showed someone that had been broken so many times that she wondered if she would ever fully be whole again. But, at this moment, Dom thought he also saw love in them.

He reached out and put his hands on her arms, rubbing her soft skin. "I thought it might be good if we talked. You know, alone," he said hesitantly. Letty was the only person who had ever made him hesitate. Everyone either feared him, worshiped him, or wanted to kill him. She had never felt any of these ways…maybe the wanting to kill him part, but not enough to act on it. She had always taken him for exactly who he was. She had never accepted his cocky bullshit. And was able to dish out just as much as he was.

"Talk?" she asked with a small laugh. She bit the left side of her lower lip. He had always found that to be a very sexy nervous habit of Letty's.

He shrugged. "Yeah, unless you don't wanna talk to me right now."

"I'll talk to you," she said, sitting down on the weight bench in his room. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Spring compressors," he said sarcastically.

"McPherson struts," she added. God, Dom loved how much she knew about cars. It was very sexy. Then, thankfully, she added, "I missed you, Dom."

"I missed you too," he said sitting down on his bed to face her. "I'm sorry about it all."

"What's 'all'," she asked.

"Leaving you, leaving the team, what I did to Linder, all the shit," he said sincerely.

"Well, I know you wouldn't a left if you hadn't been handcuffed. I forgive you for that," she joked. It was good to hear a joke.

"I know I never asked you 'cause some things you just have to hold on to but…," he was having a really difficult time getting it out. He was comfortable talking to Letty. He always knew he could be honest with her. She could always tell when he wasn't. But, now, he just stopped.

"I wasn't ever with anybody else. And, if you were, in prison, I'd rather not know about it," she said, trying to hold a straight face. She was doing what she could to cut some of the tension. Dom appreciated that. He was having a hard time, though, because rejection wasn't really something he had ever dealt well with. That was, most likely, why it had taken years for him to admit his feelings towards Letty. He didn't want to loose face. And, now, he was struggling with the same dilemma.

He just smiled and chuckled with her response. After not drinking for two years, he could feel those five beers. It made things a little bit easier. "I guess I just wanted to tell ya' that I'm glad I'm back near you and I never stopped caring about you. I don't know what that means about right now, but, I wanted you to know."

"You tryin' to pin me down or something?" she said smiling at him.

"Oh, I could pin you down if I wanted to," he said wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him.

"Wow, you can pin down a hundred pound girl. You're such a badass," she mocked.

He just smiled at her. At this point, he knew everything would be the same with them. They were never much into labels. They went deeper than labels. Boyfriend/girlfriend were never terms that the two of them would ever consider sporting. But, at that moment, when their eyes met, they knew they were something and that was all that mattered.

The both spent the next few hours completely wrapped up in each other- with a main focus on the physical aspects they had missed the most. Dom had forgotten how amazing Letty was. She was wild and crazy in a way that always kept him on his toes. She'd try anything with Dom- trysexual- and she had quite the imagination. It made for a nice afternoon. When they started to hear more music and people downstairs they decided to reemerge. When they went downstairs Dom noticed a few familiar faces and a few unfamiliar ones. He was much happier now, though. He was ready to make up for lost time.

"Hey man, where ya' been?" a seemingly drunk Vince joked.

Dom just smiled and grabbed a beer. He handed Letty one. He looked around to try and notice who all was at his house.

"Welcome back, bro," Hector said to Dom, coming up from behind him.

"What's goin' on, man," Dom said, turning around to greet him.

"The streets have been lonely without you. When you gonna get back out there?" he asked.

"Soon as I can. I need to make some money. But, I gotta do some work on the car first. You know, I gotta make sure I can smoke your ass before I get in the ring," he said. Hector was his main challenger. Usually, the other drivers had spent a lot of money on their car but didn't really know how to drive it. Hector knew how to drive. He liked racing against Hector.

"If you want to make some money," Hector said, lowering his voice, "I hear Tran's got a little import/export thing goin' on that he's looking for some drivers for."

Dom smiled, "I don't think Tran's the biggest fan of me."

"Yeah, I heard about what happened with you and his sister. Fucked up, yo," Hector said, joking around.

"Listen, it wasn't even like that. Tran's a lotta talk. You know that. It was…a misunderstanding," Dom said. The truth was he had turned Tran's sister into a one-night stand. But, that was mainly due to the fact that he and Letty got together the next day. Otherwise, he probably would have at least gotten a few more nights out of it.

"I hear ya, I hear ya" Hector said. "There was talk about getting some road action tonight. You down,"

"You want me to stand on the sidelines?" Dom asked, eyebrows perched.

Hector smiled, "unless you got something to race."

"Where?" Dom asked with a suspicious grin on his face.

"Right off Pacific Coast Highway. I thought we'd do like 2 G buy in for all interested parties," Hector said, hoping Dom would find a car to race.

"We'll see what happens," Dom said. Now, he needed a car and $2,000. Surely, an excon could work this out.

TBC

---

AJ


	3. Chapter 3

Dom knew where he could get a car. Getting a car was the easy part. If nothing else, he could always use Mia or Letty's car. He hadn't worked on either of them in a while. But, he was confident that he could do some pretty significant damage against the characters that would be at a run-of-the-mill street race on a Friday night. He was pretty sure that, with the exception of Hector, it would be your typical rich boy that didn't know how to handle a car. But, coming across a couple extra thousand dollars would be the biggest problem. There was only one person Dom could think of to call, and he really didn't want to call him.

Dom made his way away from Letty. If she knew what he was doing she would be pissed. That was not something that he was trying to deal with right now. He made eye contact with Vince and motioned for him to come into the kitchen. Vince met his gaze and followed him in. Dom looked around to make sure that Mia was not around. He knew that as mad as Letty may be that he was going to go out and commit a crime the night he got out of prison, Mia would cause a scene.

After being sure that he was in the clear he looked and Vince and quietly said, "Do you know how to get in touch with Tran?"

"Why?" Vince asked just smiling with suspicion.

"Business," Dom said very forthright

"Business? What kinda business you got goin' on with Tran tonight?" Vince asked, clearly unwilling to give up the contact number with further information.

"I think I'm gonna race tonight. I need to come across some quick cash. That's about the only thing that Tran's good for," Dom explained. He didn't want to divulge too much information. Dom knew that it was a bad idea. But, to feel the speed and the adrenaline from a race. It was the thing he had missed above all else. He needed to feel that freedom now more than ever before.

"I'll give it to ya man but it's a bad idea. Ain't no shit ever gone down with Tran that wasn't shady," Vince said. But he submitted and gave Dom his cell phone.

Dom called Tran.

"Yo, Johnny, it's Dominic Torettto. How you doin, man?" Dom asked, attempting to sound nonchalant. Dom and Johnny Tran had never gotten along. It was impossible for them to have a completely comfortable conversation. And, Dom half expected Johnny to hang up on him. If any guy had ever done Mia the way Dominic had done Johnny's sister, they would not still be standing.

"Toretto, they let you out?" Johnny said, being just as haughty as ever.

"Listen, I'm not gonna try to talk small talk with you. I need to talk business," Dom said, getting right to the point. He didn't want to talk to Johnny any more than Johnny wanted to talk to him. There was no reason to prolong the pain.

"What kind of business could you have that I would be interested in?" Johnny asked.

"From what I hear, you've been looking for some drivers. And, right now, I'm lookin' for some cash. I thought we could see about workin' together on this dilemma," Dom said, trying still to act casual.

"How much cash?" Tran asked.

"What's the job?" Dom asked. He was pretty willing to do anything that required driving. But, he couldn't start tossing around numbers until he understood the expectations. He had a lot riding on the fact that the cops wouldn't find out about it.

"I just need someone to, uh, pick up some merchandise and deliver it," Tran said, being obviously too vague.

"Alright, what type of merchandise are we talkin' about?" Dom said, requiring more specifics. Dom may have been drinking but he wasn't foolish. He knew the types people that Johnny Tran dealt with. He was a violent guy and ran with some pretty volatile people. They didn't get in fistfights, they got into shooting fights.

"Guns," Johnny said after a significant pause. This made Dom hesitate. He wasn't used to dealing much with weapons. In fact, he thought that most guys that dealt with weapons were too scared to handle fights themselves. He had no respect for them. He wasn't so sure about pushing this type of product. He got an all too familiar feeling that always seemed to rise up in his stomach when he knew he was about to agree to something he shouldn't.

"Where's the pick up?" Dom said, still not feeling comfortable but knowing he would still do it. It was just how he worked. If an opportunity came along for some quick and easy cash, he had a hard time passing it down. Dom understood, really understood, hard work. He saw his Dad struggle to make ends meat honestly. It was impossible. He could never live like his Dad had. But, having some easy money on the side would make that hard work pay off more.

"Santa Monica," Tran replied. Santa Monica? That was only about 20 minutes away. Why did Tran need fast drivers to pick up guns from Santa Monica? What, did he need them in 15 instead of 20 minutes? It was ridiculous, no logic. There was definitely more going on here than Johnny was revealing. But, instead of finding out all the details, he decided he didn't want to know. He was going to make a bad decision and, in that instance, it's best not to know all the details.

"How much you payin'?" Dom asked. There was no way that he was going to be the first to state a number. And, he knew that Tran would try to underpay him. It would need to be carefully negotiated.

"I'll give you the two grand you want to race with," Johnny said slightly chuckling. I guess it was pretty obvious why Dom was calling. He thought about it for a second. He wondered if he should try to hit Tran up for more. If his only part in this deal was running the product, two grand for an hours work wasn't that bad.

"Make it three and I'll leave right now," Dom said. He wasn't much into negotiations, really. But, it was worth a shot. He would never know if he didn't try. And, apparently Tran needed someone pretty badly to take the deal over the phone tonight.

"Two-five," he said.

"When's the shipment coming in," Dom said, essentially agreeing to the deal.

"Midnight," Tran said. So Dominic would miss the street race. That was really the only reason for making the deal in the first place. "But, I'll spot you the money so you can race. And, I'll even call my boys out of it so you have a chance."

"You send your boys. They don't scare me," Dom said. That was a very brave and arrogant comment for Johnny to make. Dom wasn't scared of the Asian crowd. He had enjoyed taking their money in the past and he highly doubted that anything had changed. "But, I'll do it just as long as you get me that money before tonight," Dom agreed. It would be easier for him to sneak away after the race and he's already be driving a car suitable for the trip. It was actual an ideal circumstance, theoretically.

"Alright. I'll meet you at the race. Pacific Coast Highway," Tran said.

"Be there," Dom said and they both hung up. This was going to be an interesting maneuver he would have to make tonight. Somehow he would have to convince one of the girls to let him use their car, hide where he was miraculously coming up with two grand and then sneak away shortly after the race to run a gun scam for Johnny Tran…easy.

TBC

---

AJ


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Apparently I should add a disclaimer because I noticed many people do. I totally own fast and the furious- just kidding. I don't. So, don't sue me. I don't have anything- even a job (still waiting to hear from Obama about that one). I've got like $10 and a dog and I'm willing to fight for the dog…happy reading, AJ

Dom figured it would be easier to ask Letty to use her car because Mia would probably flip out on him. In the end, he thought she would let him use it, but if he didn't have to go through all the bullshit it would be preferable. But, he definitely needed to use whichever car would be a sure win. If he was going to all this trouble he had better win. Somewhere mid conversation with Tran, Vince had decided to go back out and join the rest of the party. This was unusual because typically Vince didn't mind being involved in everyone else's business. He probably just knew how mad it would make Mia and didn't want to give her any other reason to reject him. He found Vince among the crowd that was starting to dwindle down slightly.

"Thanks," Dom said, handing Vince back his phone.

"Do I want to know?" Vince asked him.

"You probably do but I don't really want to tell you," Dom said smiling.

Vince just looked at him suspiciously and gave it a rest. Dom was very glad about that. He didn't feel like explaining and validating his actions. There really was no validation so he knew he'd have to make up some crap so that it would sound better than it was.

"Hey, who's car would be better in a race, Letty or Mia?" Dom asked, trying to move the conversation away from Johnny Tran before it even got started.

"You think Mia would let you race her car right now? You just got out, brother, she's not tryin' to get you locked back up," he said.

"That wasn't my question," Dom clarified. They both knew that it would take a lot of coaxing for Mia to agree to that.

"I think they'd both do fine. I'd go for Letty's to avoid the shit," he said.

"They had any work done on them since I've been gone," Dom asked.

"We added some, uh, special features," Vince said. Dom didn't really understand this description but figured it would suffice for now. Vince had been drinking for a while so unless Dom wanted an hour long play-by-play, he figured he would just leave it at that. Besides, Vince really liked cars and could work on cars at a fairly basic level, but the technical aspects were never really his forte.

"Alright. Well, now I just gotta go work on getting those keys," Dom said smiling and walking off towards Letty.

"Good luck," Vince said as he trailed off.

"Hey, baby," Dom said walking up to Letty and wrapping both his arms around her.

"Where'd you run off to?" she said, falling back into his arms and looking up at him.

"I was just on the phone," he said grabbing an unopened Corona from the cooler next to her and popping it open.

"Captain popular," she mocked.

"You know how it is. Listen," he started to say. He may as well get it out of the way. "You think I could use your car tonight?" He was trying to sound innocent. She just raised her eyebrows at him apprehensively. At this point, he really wished that his car was in racing condition. But, too much was riding on this race for him to take any chances. His car had received zero improvements in the past two years and probably wouldn't stand a chance against other racers.

"Where you goin'?" she asked. He could answer this in a couple of different ways. He could tell the truth, probably the best option but certainly the most difficult. He could make up some completely ridiculous story that she would probably not believe but would have bits and pieces of the truth spread out in it. Or, he could straight up lie. He could not decide which sounded like the best option at this moment.

"Um," he said and then hesitated.

"Um," she repeated skeptically. "No then," she said shaking her head. He knew she was smarter than that. She could tell that he was up to no good. She always could.

"Nah, it's just I was thinking about racing tonight. And, I know that your car is almost as hot as you are," he said. Yes, pouring on a bit of flattery never hurt a guy. With Letty, though, complimenting her car would probably get you further. But, he was rusty. He'd been in prison for two years.

She just started laughing. "You gotta be kidding me with that shit," she said, continuing to laugh.

Dom just shrugged.

"How about you just tell me what's going on and save both of us a lotta hassles," she said freeing herself from his embrace, not in a smug type of way but in a practical, conversational way.

"Alright, look, I just need a car to race tonight. I really want to race. It's been so long and it's just something I need. You can understand that, huh?" he said, really hoping she wouldn't ask him where he was getting the money to enter in a race. At this point, he was definitely telling her the truth. He needed the rush. He had been caged. But now the door was open and he was ready to fly again.

"Oh I can understand it. I just think it's a bad idea," she said looking him right in the eyes. She could always see right through him. He was transparent to her. He loved that. And, this was true, it was a bad idea. But, not nearly as bad of an idea as the second half of his evening's agenda.

"You're gonna come watch me though, right?" he asked putting his hands on her arms and looking back in her dark eyes. He loved the way that her pupils and retinas ran together to create the darkest and most mysterious eyes he had ever seen. He really had missed her.

"You need watching?" she laughed really just making fun of the fact that the girls always flocked to Dom after he won. Well, the girls always flocked to Dom anyway, but especially after he won. He knew that she would go.

"I need you," he said.

"I'll go. Can't miss a race," she said.

"Don't want to miss all those guys, huh?" he joked. He was never one to let too many guys get very close to Letty. At the races he kept a pretty close eye on what Letty was doing and who she was doing it with. He trusted her but he didn't trust any of the other characters there. And, he was pretty sure the scene hadn't changed much. Most of the guys there understood that Letty was his girl and were too scared of Dom to attempt to hit on her. But, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Shoot, I do it for the cars," she said. And, this was true also. Letty more preoccupied with the cars than with the guys. She always had been. Sometimes Dom wondered if they were together just because it was convenient and she was too engrossed in the cars at races to meet anyone else.

He just laughed.

"Where are you getting the money to race," she asked.

Shit, Dom thought. Alright, now he had to think pretty fast. Besides running a skeezy scam for Tran, where else could he get that kind of money?

"I'm actually borrowing it from Hector. So, I really hope I win," he completely lied. It was difficult for him to lie to Letty. He knew that he shouldn't. And when she inevitably found out the truth the situation would be much worse. He always regretted lying to Letty. It made him feel guilty. Their relationship was very honest and real. He knew that lying to her threatened the security they had. But, a quarter mile at a time- he would cross the bridge when he got to it.

She looked at him rather doubtfully. Then just asked, "Are you insulting my car?" She gave him a slight push. Granted, this push did not cause him to move at all but he thought it was cute.

"I would never. I don't want to get my ass beat," he joked. He knew that he was in the clear, for now at least, with Letty.

With all that behind him, Dom started to get pretty psyched up about the race. He couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel. He trusted his abilities enough to know that he wasn't rusty. He may have been unpracticed. But, to Dom, it was like riding a bike- a really, really fast illegal bike. There is no better kind. He decided it would be best if he stopped drinking, though. He also decided that it would be best not to tell Mia. She could just be…surprised.

TBC with a street race, stay tuned

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AJ


	5. Chapter 5

Around 9 o'clock everyone started heading over for the race. It was going to be a tricky maneuver for Dom to convince Letty to ride with someone else to the race. This was crucial because he needed Letty to not expect to ride home with him. He assumed she would most likely notice if they took a detour to Santa Monica. And who you rode with was a safety net they had created because the cops busted so many of the street races. Whoever you ride to the race with is who you leave with when the cops pile in. He figured he would need some outside interference.

"Hey Vince," Dom called, approaching him.

"What's up?" Vince said, ending the conversation that he was having with some random girl Dom had never seen before.

"I need you to do me a favor," Dom said lowering his voice.

"This can't be good," Vince remarked

"I need you to take Letty to the race. She's letting me take her car. But, I can't have her riding with me," Dom whispered softly.

"Why not? What's going on?" Vince asked very confused.

"I don't really want to get into it right now. Can you do that for me brother?" Dom said. He really hoped that if all went well he would never have to explain his actions to anyone…here's hoping!

"Well, you know as well as I do that there is really no 'making' Letty do anything. But, I promise that I will try," Vince agreed. Vince may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed but he was a loyal friend. He always had been.

"That's all I can ask. I'll owe you one, brother," Dom said shaking his head. He thought about how he had just gotten out of prison and already agreed to commit two illegal activities and owed someone a favor. He wasn't wasting anytime!

He thought about how it would have been so much easier to just watch _Lethal Weapon_ and go to sleep. But, you only live once. May as well make the most of it.

After the rest of the unknown people had decided to start making their way for the race, the rest of the team started getting antsy to leave. Dom knew that his team enjoyed showing up late. This allowed them to make a bigger entrance- always key. Luckily he had told Hector he wanted to race. So he knew that the race wouldn't start until he arrived. This gave him quite a bit of power in dictating the terms and starting time. But, he also knew that Tran may not wait around forever. They probably needed to get going.

"You about ready to roll?" Vince asked the room.

"Where are you going?" Mia asked, completely clueless about all the plans that had taken place.

"The race," Vince said in a very matter-of-fact manner.

"That's not a good idea," she said, directly staring at Dom.

"Don't worry, Mia. It'll be fun," Dom said smiling.

"Dom," Mia said approaching him. "You shouldn't go do this. You can't risk anything right now. They'll put you back in for 3 more years if you get caught doing ANYTHING!" She was essentially yelling at this point.

"Mia, pull it together. Nothing's going to happen. You don't have to go, though, if you don't want to," Dom said, somewhat encouraging her lack of attendance. He loved having his sister along. He loved her very much. But, tonight, he didn't really want her to witness his behavior.

Mia just sighed and shook her head. "You're never going to change. You are always going to do exactly what the hell Dominic Toretto wants to do and not care what anyone else has to say."

"Mia," he called out as she huffed and clamored up the stairs. Dom was always somewhat confused when girls did this. Did this mean that he was supposed to go talk to her? He also knew that girls needed time to do whatever it was that girls did when they got pissed off – besides yell at him. He couldn't leave it like this. Mia was his sister. He followed her up the stairs.

"You guys go ahead and go. I'll be there in a few," Dom said. This ended up being the perfect opportunity for Vince to pull Letty into his car. Odd how things work out sometimes.

He found Mia in her room just sitting on her bed. She was crying. Damn.

"Mia," he said remorsefully. He never wanted to hurt his sister. She had been through way too much. He didn't want to be just another disappointment or let down in her life. She looked up at him. "Please, don't get upset."

"I just got you back, Dominic. You're my brother. Why wouldn't you do everything you could not to let that happen again?" she asked, tears running down her cheek.

"Nothing is going to happen. I haven't had fun in two years. Two years! That is a long time. I need to feel normal again," he explained.

"I love the rush too," she said. "But some things aren't worth the risk."

"I didn't get busted at a street race, Mia. And, trust me. I've learned my lesson. Ask the state of California. I've been rehabilitated," he attempted to joke with her. He knew that she wasn't going to laugh. But, it was worth a shot. It was too early in the game for people to be mad at him. He had plenty of time for that later.

"I don't think that you should go," she said. He knew that she didn't know what he had been through these past two years. He didn't want her to know. He had been away from everything and everyone he loved most in the world. And now all he wanted to do was get his life back.

But, now, he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to walk out on her. At the same time, he really needed to get going. Finally, he said, "Mia, I love you. Trust me when I say that I will be home tonight."

She just looked away from him and laid down on her bed. He decided that the time had come. It was fish or cut bait. He needed to fish. He turned and walked out of her room. He looked back at her and wanted to kill himself for doing this to her. She had been so excited on the drive home. He had royally fucked that up. He had to use every muscle in his body to force himself to walk down the stairs. Letty had left her keys for him by the door. He grabbed them and walked outside. It felt great. It was warm. It was dark. And, he was not surrounded by inmates! He couldn't let anything bad happen tonight.

He unlocked Letty's car and got in. He put the keys in the ignition and cranked the engine. He heard it roar. It was music to his ears. He knew that Mia would be watching him from the window. He didn't dare look up. It would have done him in. He pushed the clutch and started driving. He had really missed driving.

Dom made it to the race in no time. Apparently, he was right, driving came back to him very easily. He enjoyed some of the 'special features' that Vince had obviously been referring to. He hadn't known Letty to enjoy NOS so much. But, he was a fan. He wondered what type of intake manifold they put in. So far, though, he was pretty confident with how Letty's car would perform in the race.

By the time he pulled up, the street was packed. There were cars lined up both sides of the road. The had people blocking and scanning for the cops on every outlet. Dom smiled at how advanced everything had become. He liked the new racing scene. But, you could not beat the traditional run- point A to point B without all the frills.

"Finally, Toretto, glad you could join us," Hector said, strolling up to Dom.

"Me too," Dom said. He spotted Letty but before he could say anything some girl he had never met was practically molesting him.

"Hello?" Dom said confused by this new person.

"I knew you needed watching," Letty said, walking up behind him. "Alright, fun's over bitch. Back the hell up off."

The girl quickly backed away. Dom put one arm around Letty as he searched the crowd for Tran. He spotted him. Tran was staring him down but keeping his distance. Dom let got of Letty.

"Hang on just a sec," he said starting to walk away. "But, you stay where I can see you." He shot her a quick smile back and walked up to Tran. As he approached him the two skulked off into the darkness.

"You got the money?" Dom said, attempting to keep the interaction as low key as possible.

Tran, in a very suave move, passed Dom the cash along with a piece of paper. He didn't say a word or even look down.

"What's this?" Dom said looking at the paper. He also looked close, inspecting the money to see if it looked like the right amount. He couldn't really tell. It just looked like a bundle of bills.

"Directions. Don't disappoint. Call me when you get back. I'm not sticking around," Tran said and disappeared in an instant. That suited Dom just fine.

He quickly made his way back through the crowd to Hector and Letty. He placed his arm appropriately back around Letty. She gave him a suspicious glance but didn't say anything. Dom felt practically giddy at this point.  
"Alright, amigo, let's do this," Dom said. He tried to remove the top five hundred dollar bills from the bundle of money as nonchalantly as possible. With a gigantic roll of cash in a crowd of people, this is no easy feat. Somehow, though, he managed to pull it off without drawing any undue attention.

"Dominic Toretto," Edwin said walking up from beside his car. "He reemerges."

"They couldn't hold me," Dom joked, giving Edwin a quick handshake. Edwin always amused Dom.

"You racin' tonight?" he asked.

"I am. Are you?" Dom asked him.

"You better believe," Edwin replied showing his cash.  
"Who's holding?" Dom asked Hector.

"I'll hold. I'm not racing against you, Dom. Not your first night out. I couldn't take the embarrassment. Bet you've built up a lotta speed in two years," he said laughing.  
"Something like that," Dom said, handing Hector what was left of the cash.

He gave Letty a kiss. But, this was not his typical before-race kiss. This was long, passionate.

"Yeah, you can tell our boy's been locked up," Edwin joked.

Dom pulled away from her slowly and kept his eyes on her the entire time he was getting in the car. He revved the engine, she sounded good. Letty moved to the sidelines. Edwin and two other random guys hopped in their cars and pulled up to the spray-painted starting line. Hector got an "all clear" sign from one of his lookouts and waved the start. Like clockwork, the cars sped forward. Dom felt it. That all familiar feeling he had when he raced. He felt like he was flying. He thought of nothing but the car and his opponents. He listened closely to the engine to catch the best time to shift. He noticed his peripherals to see who was gaining on him. At this point, no one was gaining on him. He felt the air beat against him as he hit 80, 85, 90, 95, 100…

He noticed Edwin catching up at the rear. Edwin had terrible timing. They were not nearly to the end line and he'd already pushed his NOS. Dom shook his head and centered his attention back on the engine. He could see the line. It was approaching. As Edwin started to make headway, Dom pushed the button. The sudden kick knocked his body back. He loved it. He held tight to the wheel…120, 125, 130…The people standing on the sidelines were a blur. The world, all the problems in it, were a blur. His head was fuzy. He looked ahead, only ahead. He didn't think about his past. He didn't think about anything more than a few seconds ahead…140, 145, 150…He had won! Thank God!

Dom cruised and started downshifting. Eventually, he made it back to the crowd. He made it back to Letty. She was there, just like she said she would be.

TBC

---

AJ


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **see previous chapter, AJ

Not a bad way to earn $6,000 in fewer than fifteen seconds. I felt like I was back in. I had been taken back two years- before my Dad died, before Linder, before Lompoc. It felt great. It was worth it. I knew I still had to make good on my deal with Tran. But, there would be time for that. Right now, all I wanted to do as bask in my win. I had not felt a crowd get this excited since the warden got killed in Lompoc. This was a different kind of excitement, though. This was the type of excitement that completely centered on me. I had no complaints.

I stepped out of the car to a flood of people, most of which I did not know. I shook a couple hands and gave out a few high fives before resting my eyes on Letty. Our eyes met. She was happy for me, I could tell. She pushed her way through the masses and quickly passed one girl that was making her way for me. When she got close enough I put my arms around her waist. I picked her up. She was so light. Our lips met. It was an amazing moment. For those brief seconds while we kissed, the crowd disappeared. It was just us. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I could tell that she wanted to stay like this forever. I complied.

Hector walked up and I gently set her back on the ground. I put my arm around her shoulder, claiming my territory. I had been out of the game for a while so it was very important that I let all the other punks around know that Letty was spoken for. Vince walked up behind me, giving me a congratulatory pat on the back. Hector gave me the cash. This was awesome. I went from negative money to a fistful of cash. I handed to cash to Letty since Mia was not around. I figured she was somewhat more responsible with money than Vince. I didn't look to see what she did with it, but I didn't care. I was on cloud nine. I was back.

We all stood around chatting for a few minutes. But, it was not long before we heard someone yell "Cops!" The sirens could be heard softly in the distance, even over the loud music that was blaring.

"Oh hell no," I said faintly but audibly. I was not going back. I had been released this morning. I could think of nothing worse than being sent back tonight.

"Hey, baby, go get with Vince. I'll meet you back at the house," I said, giving her a very brief kiss. I didn't want to prolong anything at this point.

"Vince," I called over to him and motioned to Letty.

"I got it," he replied.  
"It?" Letty said, apparently extremely offended. Leave it to Letty to try to start a fight when we're running from the cops. Luckily, that was Vince's fight, not mine. I jumped in the car, watching them start to argue. But, I knew they were smart enough not to just stand there and get arrested. I really wasn't concerned.

I started the ignition and followed the slew of racers down the street. It was tricky, actually. Because, the cops could technically pull you over for suspicion of illegal activity. And, since I knew that there were very few parts under Letty's hood that were legal, it wasn't something I wanted to wait around for. So I did the only logical thing I could think of, I headed to Santa Monica to engage in my next illegal activity. This was not really turning into the night out I had imagined.

I got on 110 and headed towards 10 West. It had been a long time since I had driven anywhere, let alone Santa Monica. But, Tran had written down pretty descriptive directions. I had to hand it to him, he was nothing if not anal. I got off at Lincoln Boulevard and followed his directions. He led me to an abandoned parking lot not far from the docks. This looked sketchy.

I saw the car that he specified as "containing the merchandise". It made me smile. He had a lot to learn about being discreet. The main issue I noticed, though, was that there was no one at the car. In fact, there was no one in the entire parking lot. Awesome. I stepped out of Letty's car and looked around, as if I had expected something to happen. It didn't. The pay phone by the sidewalk started ringing.

You've got to be kidding me, I thought.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. I rubbed my eyes and starting making my way to the pay phone. I hesitated a minute before answering.

"Hello?" I said. This was ridiculous.

"Toretto, you made it," Tran said.

"Yeah, it was like 15 miles. Listen, dude, there's no one at this car," I explained.

"I didn't say there would be," he replied.

"Alright, true. So what are you getting at?" I said. He made a good point.

"I want you to get the merchandise out of the trunk," he said. His use of the word merchandise was really starting to bug me. We weren't stocking a store here, I hoped.

"I'm not jackin' a car," I said.

"I didn't say that," he said slowly.

"Well why don't you say what you need to say and stop wasting my time," I said, starting to get a little too miffed by the entire situation.

"Get the merchandise out of the trunk. I don't care how you do it," he said. "Call me when you get back in town." He hung up.

Shit. I slammed the phone down. 'Get the _merchandise_ out of the trunk'. I just smiled, in anger, and walked back up to the car. I had not attempted to break into a car since I was about fifteen. Even then, boosting was not really my scene. I noticed the make and model of the car. It was a brand new Lexus ES, 3.0 L, V6, not a bad car. Not one that I especially wanted to break into, though. There was no way it wouldn't have an alarm. And we weren't exactly in the country. But I figured I might as well get it over with.

I decided the most logical approach would be to see if the car was unlocked. It was not. That, clearly, would have made this far too simple. With a car like this, I figured my best bet was to open the trunk automatically. So, I'd have to be inside the vehicle. Damn. I scratched my head and went to see if Letty had anything I could wrap around my elbow before attempting to break the window. I needed to get to the automatic trunk release button located inside the car, somewhere. Lexus was not really my most familiar import. Or, typically, the fuses associated with automatic controls were behind coin trays or ashtrays. This may also be an option. I started to get pretty angry because this is not really what Tran and I had discussed.

Letty had an old shirt in her backseat. She also had a pair of work gloves. It seemed pretty reasonable to wear gloves when breaking into a vehicle after just being released from prison. I put on the gloves and took out the shirt. It looked like a guy's shirt. But, that is a bridge I would cross later. One stressor at a time. I opened Letty's trunk and backed her car up to the abandoned car. I may as well be ready. I got out and wrapped the shirt around my elbow and went to the driver's side window. I inhaled deeply and pulled back my arm. I hit the window with all the strength I could muster. It really hurt. But, the window broke. And, with that, so did the sounds of silence. The most annoying and loud car alarm I had ever heard starting whaling from the vehicle. I would obviously have to do this very quickly.

I opened up the door and looked at the bottom. I saw the button for the trunk release. I pressed it. Much to my surprise, the trunk opened. That did not bode well for the Lexus security system but this was not the time to think about that, more the time to hurry the fuck up. I didn't bother closing the door, it was already pretty obvious that someone had broken the widow. I ran to the trunk. Jesus, what was Tran attempting to do? Amass an arsenal? I just started throwing the shit into my trunk. That was until I realized that underneath the guns was coke.

You've got to be shitting me, I thought. I was pissed. No way did someone leave an abandoned car filled with guns and coke in some parking lot in Santa Monica. With that thought, it rang pretty clear. They hadn't. I heard gunshots and saw a bunch of guys running from a bar less than a block a way. I threw the rest of the shit in the trunk, including the coke, and slammed the trunk down. I hightailed it to the driver's seat and floored the engine. The guys were running to their cars, still shooting, though.

I shifted and headed down some back roads. I had no clue where I was going. But, I didn't really want to get back on the main roads and draw attention to the fact I had apparently just stolen guns and cocaine. I didn't feel this would be a story that was easily explained or received by law enforcement. I kept making turns, and only by the grace of God did I not hit a dead end. One of the guys, apparently a pretty good driver with the unfortunate luck of having a shitty car, shot out the back windshield. That would be fun to explain to Letty. 'Hey baby, thanks for letting me take your car to run some _merchandise_ for Johnny Tran. I'll replace your back windshield first thing in the morning'. Yeah, that was going to go over really well.

I eventually lost them and made my way back to the 110. I couldn't wait to see Johnny Tran so I could kill him. I got back to LA and turned right on Broadway. I saw a payphone on the corner and stopped. I dialed Tran's number and listened to it ring.

I really need to get a phone, I thought.

Tran picked up, "Toretto, good to hear from you."

"What the fuck, Tran? That was not what we'd discussed at all!" I yelled. I lowered my voice some, though, when I noticed people staring.

"Calm down. It's over. Let's meet up and close this," he said calmly. His calmness made me very angry.

"Oh, we definitely need to meet," I agreed. This was bullshit.

"Meet me at my garage in 10 minutes," he said. I didn't bother responding and just hung up the phone.

I took my time making it to the garage. It was probably the only time in my life I went under the speed limit. For a brief second I considered turning around and selling the shit to someone else. But, I wanted to punch Tran worse, so I pressed on.

When I pulled up Tran was already there with his cousin and another Asian guy. I got out of the car, holding tight to the keys. They weren't going to see anything before we had a discussion.

"Dominic, nice to see you out," his cousin, Lance, said. I ignored him completely and went right for Tran. I grabbed him by the neck and threw him up against the wall.

"What happened to your back windshield," Tran said. I felt my grip tighten around his neck until all his air was cutoff. "Okay," he whispered with the last remaining breath in his lungs. I let up, only slightly.

"What the fuck was that?" I yelled. "That's how you do business?"

"That was my shit. They stole it first," he said, almost begging.

"I don't give a shit. That was not what we talked about and you know it. And, coke? No way," I said, tightening my grip back up. He chocked.

"Let him go," Lance said, walking up to me. I took my eyes off Tran to look his cousin square in the eyes. He did not want to get involved. He backed away.

"Dom, I'm sorry. What do you want?" Tran asked. I loosened up my grip only long enough to pull back my arm and punch him square in the face.

"Get your shit," I said, throwing the keys to Lance. I let Tran go, shaking my head. "Never again, Tran. And you keep your distance from now on. That's not how I do business. You stay away. I stay away. I don't want nothing more to do with you."

I sat, in silence, as they unloaded everything.

"You want some?" Lance asked, offering some of the cocaine. I just laughed, got in the car, and drove away.

I made my way back to the fort. I saw a line of cars down the road. Apparently the party was here tonight. I pulled in the driveway. Maybe Letty wouldn't notice the windshield.

TBC

---

AJ


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** still applicable… AJ

I stepped out of the car and walked up to the house. I knew that I needed to take a very low profile so the others would not know that I was gone for so long. My knuckles hurt from breaking Tran's nose. My elbow was throbbing from breaking the windshield. I looked down at it and noticed that I was bleeding. I needed a drink.

I walked inside. It was wall-to-wall people. It was going to be pretty easy to hide in this chaos. I went to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. I opened up my throat and chugged it completely. I sat the empty beer bottle aside and grabbed two more. I made my way over to an empty chair. I opened another and did the same. I was starting to feel slightly better. I opened the third and crashed in the chair.

I heard a phone start to ring on the table beside the chair. It was Letty's. I looked at the screen and it said 'Vince'. I decided to answer it.

"Sup man," I said, curious as to where Vince escaped to and why he was calling Letty. I didn't see her anywhere, lucky for me.

"Dominic, brother," he slurred, clearly inebriated. "Dude, I'm at the house."

"Cool, me too," I said.

"Which house?" he asked. I could see him near the doorway. This was fun.

"Mine," I said.

"Oh…cool. Me too. Where are you?" he said. I could see him looking around.

"I'm in the living room, man," I replied.

"Oh, I think I see you. Dom…listen, if that's you…jump," he said. He was clearly looking right at me.

What the hell? Jump? No. "Dude, just come in," I said and I couldn't help but smile from this statement. You had to appreciate drunken Vince for things like that. The part I loved was that this probably made perfect sense to him. But, I was not going to jump. It had been a long ass night.

"Nah, if you jump then I'll know it's you," he said as judiciously as a drunk man can.

"Alright, I'm jumping," I said without moving from where I was sitting.

"Shit, that's not you," he said somewhat saddened.

"Listen, maybe you're in the wrong house. Go outside and walk next door. Try that house. I'll be jumping," I said.

"Alright, cool," he said and hung up.

I sat there contemplating the potential humor that could come from this. But, at the same time I didn't want Vince to get arrested tonight. Hm, decisions, decisions.

Just then Letty came up.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked sitting on the arm of my chair.

"Vince is wasted. I just sent him next door to try to find me, jumping," I said still smiling and wrapping my arm around her waist.

"What?" she asked very confused.

"Never mind. Listen, there he goes. Will you go snag him so he doesn't get his ass arrested for breaking and entering?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said and trailed off into the crowd to get him. She always enjoyed drunk Vince too.

A few seconds later she was pulling a stumbling Vince over to where I was sitting.

"You stopped jumping," he said surprised.

"Yeah, my legs hurt," I joked.

"Oh, it's cool. I'm glad I found you. I need to tell you something," he said, still slurring.

"Let's have it," I said and waited. His brow furred. He looked confused.

"Hm, oh yeah, Tran called you," Vince said, his voice getting progressively angrier.

"Oh, thanks, it's cool I'll talk to him later," I said quickly trying to get Vince to shut up. Not an easy feat with a drunken person.

"Why would Tran call you?" Letty asked suspiciously.

I shrugged. She didn't buy it. But, luckily Vince continued so I would be sure to get busted.

"He said 'he appreciated it, he hopes you aren't pissed' and…," but I stopped him before he could continue. Damn, Vince, shut up.

"Hey, bro, I think that girl from the race, the one you were talking to," I started, completely lying. I had no clue what, if any, girl Vince was talking to at the race but I figured he probably talked to some girl. "She is right over there and she asked about you earlier. You should go try to tap that." I just pointed, essentially, to the crowd.

"Piece of cake," he said, giving me a high five and a half smile before skulking off into the crowd of people to go hit on some unknowing girl. That left me with Letty. This would be fun.

She just kind of glared at me. This was an interesting but inevitable predicament to get into.

I put my arm around her as she positioned herself back on the arm of the chair. I looked up at her, innocently as possible. She continued to glare at me, eyebrows perked. Maybe if I changed the subject I could avoid the conversation completely.

"So are you having fun?" I asked leaning closer to her.

"Why would Tran call you?" she persisted.

Maybe not.

"I don't really want to talk about it here," I said looking around, mainly procrastinating. No one was listening. But, I felt it the best way to continue my plight of avoidance.

"That's cool. I'm ready to go upstairs anyway," she said taking my hand and pulling me up out of the chair. This was the arm that was killing me at the moment but I couldn't let on. I did not realize until this moment how tired I was either. This had been a very long day. I was in prison this morning. I'm glad I wasn't in prison tonight.

"Let me just grab another beer," I said, downing the one I was holding. "Do you want one?"

"I think I'm good," she said. I headed back in the kitchen. I grabbed three, just in case. I found her waiting for me by the landing of the steps. I followed her up.

We got upstairs. It was much quieter. Excellent, that way she would not be able to miss a word I said. I wanted to be honest with her. If we had any chance of picking up where we left off in our relationship I knew that I couldn't start out lying to her. I made my bed, now I would have to lay in it. And, she would probably be mad at me, especially after she found out about her windshield. But, maybe then we could have makeup sex. Lofty ambitions.

"Okay, so what's up?" she asked, sitting down on my bed.

"I didn't get the money to race from Hector. I should have just told you the truth but I didn't want you to get pissed," I started. Her looked changed from inquisitive to pissed. This was going well so far. I opened the fourth beer and drank half of it, waiting for her to respond.

She didn't say anything. She waited. I decided that it was in my best interest to drink the other half. Then I continued.

"I got the money from Tran. Hector told me that he has been looking for drivers to run some shit and I called him tonight. He gave me $2500 to pick up some stuff in Santa Monica. That was where I went after the race. I went, picked it up, and dropped it off to him. It was a clean break, nothing happened," I decided to leave out the colorful details for Letty's sake. And, for my own. I didn't want her to get any more upset than she had to.

She still didn't say anything.

I hesitated before saying, "that's it."

"Oh is that it?" she said, her voice smooth mixture of sarcasm and fury.

"No, actually," I said, sighing and hesitating. "I'm going to have to replace your back windshield in the morning."

"What? Why?" she yelled.

"There was this guy and I have no clue what they had to do with the whole exchange. Apparently he was upset with the situation and he shot out your back windshield. But that's totally it," I said. I covered my elbow. I didn't want her to see the dried blood on it.

"That's it? Damn, Dom, you don't waste anytime! What the hell?" she said, getting more upset.

"That's really it. That's what happened. I don't know why he called later and frankly I don't care. I've got money now. I don't want to do business with Tran," I explained. I wished that she could just understand. I did what I had to do, that's what I always do. And, now that I had a couple of extra grand to last me a while, I would be fine.

"That was stupid!" she yelled, more. "And in my fucking car! I can't believe you would take my car to do some shit like that. If you don't care enough about me to not pull idiotic crap that's going to get you locked back up, you should at least respect my car!"

"I do respect your car. And, I care about you. That is why I'm telling you this. I want this to work out, I really do," I said, motioning between the two of us.

"Why lie?" she said. Her expression was starting to soften, a little.

"I didn't want to lie to you," I said. And that was true. Now Mia, yeah, I wanted to lie to her about it. That conversation would have been painful.

"So?" she shrugged.

"I don't know," I said.

"Stop!" she said, loudly.

"What?" I asked confused.

"You can't do that. If you can't talk to me about shit, and honestly, then we got nothing here," she said exasperated.

"Alright, look," I said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I didn't want you to try to talk me out of it. I knew it wasn't a good idea but it's something I needed to do. And I didn't want you to worry."

"Dom, I've always let you do what you felt like you needed to do. I mean, yeah, it was extra stupid tonight consider you _just_ got out of prison. But, damn, give me a little credit. I'm a lot more pissed that you lied, and about my windshield, then that you're hauling shit- and I don't even want to know what it was- for Johnny Tran," she explained. She stood up and turned her back to me. "No, that's not true. I'm pissed about that too."

"I'm not going to do it again," I said. This was definitely true. I would like to kill Johnny Tran, though.

She gave off a sad, pathetic laugh with her back to me. "Well, you know what, Dom? Your 'I'm not going to do it again' list is pretty fucking long," she stated.

I could see her better as she walked over to the window. She looked beautiful. How could I have already messed up? I guess, she was right, I don't waste anytime disappointing people.

"Letty?" I said, standing up and walking up behind her. I put my arms around her. I could feel her flinch, as if she wanted to release herself from my embrace. But, then she softened. I looked down at her and kissed her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I don't want to fuck this up. If I fuck up all the other shit, this is what matters the most, you and me."

She turned her head and looked into my eyes. She was so beautiful. It was like the moon was reflecting off of her and nothing else. She turned around and hugged me. Then, she looked up at me again.

"Then prove it to me Dom," she said earnestly.

"I will," I said. And, God, I wanted to. I wanted to be the man that she thought I was, the man I was only in her eyes. To everyone else I was just a fuck up. But, Letty never lost faith in me. "God, I missed you. I don't really have any excuse for what I did. And, if I'd known that anything was going to happen to your car I wouldn't have taken it. You know that, huh? This is the first time we've been together in two years. Can you get pissed at me tomorrow? Like a 'get out of jail free' card?" I asked pulling her closer to me.

"Oh don't worry. I will," she said. But then the attitude started to fade. She looked me square in the eyes and started to say, "if you do it again, lie I mean," but I stopped her. I placed my hand under her chin and stared into her dark eyes.

"I won't," I said softly before pulling her in for a kiss.

TBC

---

AJ


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Still not a Fast and the Furious owner, nor do I own Parker Brothers Monopoly Cards.

Being with Letty that night was amazing. Everything about it was amazing. She was amazing. She had grown up a lot in two years. I could see how much she had changed. But, she was still the same person I had left. She was wild and crazy but controlled and even sweet when no one was looking. And that night, no one was looking but me. We had sex, fucked, made love- we did all of that. It was awesome. The best part was watching her sleep in my arms. I had missed that most of all. I knew that we would get through the Tran mess. I didn't doubt that she would give me hell about it in the morning, but I knew we would make it past that. I know that I would have to try really hard not to mess up what we had, though. I don't think she was handing out very many 'get out of jail free' cards. I wanted to be honest with her. I wanted to talk to her about things. I wanted to make sure that she knew how much she meant to me. Essentially, I wanted to do everything better than I had before.

Despite how tired I was that night, I couldn't sleep. I felt like I'd been hit by a bus, continuously, these past few years. It doesn't rain, it fucking pours. But, I was beginning to realize that all of that could be over. I had another chance. I had another chance with Letty. I had another chance to not fuck things up. So many things ran through my head. I wanted to make plans. I wanted to have goals, something to work towards. I needed to take my responsibility as head of the family, head of the team. I felt bad that my little sister had been trying to run the businesses. Granted, she had a lot of help. But, it was not her job. She was young. She needed to be young.

I felt Letty start to wake up. I didn't know what time it was, but it was still pretty early.

"I'm glad you're here this morning. I don't like waking up alone," she said, looking up at me and stretching.

"Try waking up to a cellmate. I would probably have preferred solitude to that," I joked.

"I don't know, was he hot?" she mocked.

"Yeah, you want me to hook you up? He'll be out in about six months. I know how much you dig ex cons," I said smiling at her. She looked even more beautiful in the morning.

"Oh yeah! I hope they let you bring home the jumpsuit. Those are pretty sexy," she said, laying her head on my chest.

"Yeah, I thought I'd wear it on job interviews," I suggested.

She started laughing.

"What? Bad idea?" I asked.

"I can't see you on a job interview!" she laughed.

"That's the part you're laughing at? I think I may be offended," I said.

"You're not," she stated.

"Okay, thank you for letting me know," I said, rubbing her arm.

"What was it like? Being in prison?" she asked. I could tell that she was hesitant to ask.

"It was awesome!" I lied. She just gave me an irritated look. " Nah, Lompoc…it was the most boring place ever. Everyday was the exact same as the next. Nothing ever changed. You could go fucking nuts just reliving the same day over and over."

"Did you make nice with others?" she asked in a joking manner. I've never really made nice with a whole lot of people.

"Huh, nah, I didn't really make a lot of friends. They weren't guys you really wanted to be friends with. A bunch of cowards covered with muscles and tattoos," I started.

"Sounds like Vince," she joked.

"Well, it's really the fear in all those guys that made them so hard to deal with," I said, thinking of a few in particular.

"Fear?" she asked.

"Yeah, you can see it in their eyes," I told her.

"Are you scared?" she asked curiously.

"Of what?" I asked. I couldn't imagine what in the world she thought I would be scared of.

Letty just shrugged, "whatever they were scared of."

"They were scared of life. They had nothing to live for and they were scared to death of dying for it," I said, staring up at the ceiling.

"So?" she pressed.

"I've got something to live for," I said.

"And what's that?" she said even though she knew what I would say.

"The Charger," I joked. "I've got to get it fixed up."

Letty punched my arm. I turned over on my side so that we were facing. I looked directly in her dark eyes. "You're what I live for. And, damn, I don't think I could have made it through Lompoc without you."

"Because we had so much contact?" she asked, sarcastically. I would never let them come to visit me very much. But, Letty and Mia would usually show up with little warning.

"You're the only reason I haven't thrown it all away Letty. After my Dad died I felt like there wasn't shit else in my life. But, then I knew that I had you. It gave me that reason," I admitted. So far I was well on my way to being open and honest with her. I needed one of those charts with little gold stars to keep track of my progress.

But, then she busted the bubble of a moment that we were having by asking, "So, Tran?"

Damn. So close to avoiding it all together.

"Yeah," I sighed, turning back over on my back. I didn't want to look at her when we talked about it. I felt too bad. The idea seemed even worse this morning than it had last night. God, I hate hindsight.

"Why don't you tell me the whole story instead of bits and pieces of it like you did last night. You're 'get out of jail' card is expired," she said, still laying on my chest. I had figured as much. Talking about what I did last night for Tran was not really where I had hoped our conversation would go. I had been hoping for something slightly more raunchy. Which, clearly, would not happen now.

"I told you what happened," I said, trying to stay truthful- I had.

"Bullshit, why don't you tell me everything that happened. Somebody's not just going to start shooting at you for nothing," she said. Good point.

I bit the bullet and just started from the beginning. I told her the entire story, despite my personal preference to leave out most every detail. When I got to the part of the story when I made it back to the house I stopped. She knew the rest. And, I waited for her reaction. I felt like I was about 10 and about to get grounded by my Mom.

"So all you did was punch him?" she asked. Her reactions never ceased to amaze me.

"Yeah," I shrugged.

"At least that part is unlike the old you," she said turning over on her back. Ouch! What was I supposed to say to that? I didn't respond. I didn't want to fight with her. I wanted to ameliorate the situation as quickly as I could. Besides, I had no defense. What I did was stupid. I knew that. And, if I wanted to patch things up between us I had to let her know that she could trust me.

"You can't fault me for being pissed. That was really dishonest," she continued.

"I don't. I'm sorry," I replied. "You have every right to be pissed."

"Well, good," she said. I guess my agreeable attitude took her somewhat by surprise. "You can't just go do shit like that."

"You're right," I finally said. "And, I'm not going to. We're a team and I don't want to disappoint you again."

"I just got you back," she said.

"But, listen, I realized that what I did last night, the person that did that, that's not who I want to be," I said.

"Well you can't just talk about it, Dom, you have to do something about," she protested.

"Letty, I can't change what I did last night. Trust me, if I could change the past a lot would be different with our lives. But I can tell you that I'm not going to keep things from you. And I'm going to be the man that I need to be," I said, pulling her back over towards me. "Will you stand by me?"

"Maybe," she said solemnly. But, she couldn't hold it in. She let out a smile. Letty had a lot of different smiles. This was my favorite one. This was a smile that she only gave to me.

"Maybe?" I said sarcastically, pulling her on top of me.

"Maybe," she replied again but while kissing me.

Perhaps the morning would be better than I had expected, I thought, pulling off Letty's shirt.

I just hoped that I wouldn't have to tell Mia about last night. Fat chance.

TBC

---

AJ


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Also- don't own the Rare franchise (developed GoldenEye 007 for N64)- wish I did, though…AJ

When Letty and I finally decided to get out of bed it was somewhere around two o'clock. It hadn't been my choice. I would have stayed in bed with her all day long. She got up. I just watched her as she got dressed.

"Are you going to get up?" she asked.

"Why don't you just come back to bed," I said, reaching out and grabbing her. I pulled her back onto the bed beside me. She wiggled out of my grip, though, laughing.

"I actually need to start _my_ day," she said.

"Yeah, okay," I said, finally standing up. I found some shorts and a shirt and pulled them on.

We walked downstairs. The house had already been cleaned. I wasn't surprised but rather glad that I didn't have to deal with it. Leon and Vince had pulled out the Nintendo 64 and were playing the James Bond GoldenEye 007 game. They were so entranced by finding the Golden Gun and killing each other at this game that it was almost sad.

"Afternoon brother," Vince said, not even taking the time to glance up.

I just nodded at him and made my way to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator. There wasn't really any food to speak of. The only thing we had was beers and some soda. Of the two, I grabbed a beer.

"Starting early," Letty remarked as I sat down beside her on the couch.

"Yeah," I said nodding. I took a swig and let it rest on my knee. Letty grabbed it and started drinking it. I just looked at her. I didn't care, but I wanted her to think I did.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you want me to get you one?" I asked, trying to sound serious.

"No, I have yours," she said sitting back against me smiling.

I didn't respond. I couldn't really pretend like I cared. Besides, she got a lot less pissed about Tran than I had thought. I figured she deserved to drink my beer.

"Besides, you shouldn't drink too much until you have my windshield fixed," she smirked just as Mia walked in. Inopportune timing, to say the least.

"What happened to your windshield, Letty?" Mia asked, coming in the front door with grocery bags.

"I don't know. Dom, what happened to my windshield?" Letty looked at me. I knew that she was throwing me the buck. Okay, what did I want to say? I didn't really feel like having Mia yell at me right now. But then when is anyone really in the mood to be yelled at? I figured, though, there was no avoiding the inevitable.

Mia perked her eyebrows at me.

"There was an accident. But, it's okay. I can fix it this afternoon," I said, trying to skip over the topic at hand. Leon and Vince were still not paying attention to our conversation. They were pretty focused on their task at hand. Leon had just picked up the Golden Gun and some Golden Bullets and was desperately trying to find Vince somewhere in the basement so he could shoot him.

"An accident? What kind of accident?" she asked accusingly.

"Here, I'll help you with the groceries," I said getting up. I handed Letty the rest of the beer. I figured this would be easier if we had some privacy. It was time that I man it up and start being honest with my family- my whole family.

She persisted. "Dom, what's going on?" she inquired as I grabbed the bags and pulled her into the kitchen.

"I messed up and made a run for Tran last night. He didn't really give me all the details and when I got there some punks were shooting at me. They hit the windshield. It was fine, though. I made it back and it's all over now," I said quickly. I was somewhat hoping that if I talked fast she would miss some of it. I doubted this would work but it was worth a shot.

"Wait, wait, you what?" she asked. I wasn't repeating this all over again.

"I made a run for Tran," I admitted.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, her voice getting increasingly louder.

"I just did it for the money," I stated. So far, so truthful.

"Just? Dom, we didn't need money that bad. That was so dumb. I can't believe you would take a risk like that. You did it for the money? What kind of reasoning is that to get sent back to prison!" she said, yelling this time.

"Mia, calm down," I said. However, this was completely ineffective.

"No, Dom, don't tell me to calm down. You could have gotten arrested and, apparently, killed," she continued.

"Mia, I wasn't going to get killed," I reassured her.

"Really? Guns don't kill you? It must be great to be you," she said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Mia. Listen, I'm not going to do it again. I realize that it wasn't a good idea. I didn't know what all it involved before I did it or I would have never agreed to it," I explained.

"When did you agree to this?" she asked.

Oh, that sucked. I didn't assume that my answer to this question would really help Mia to be less pissed at me.

"It was before we went to the races. He fronted me the money so I could race," I admitted.

"Dominic! Jesus Christ!" she yelled. "How can you have not learned that it's a bad idea to commit crimes?"

"Oh, come on Mia. You've got to be kidding me with that shit," I smiled. Commit crimes. Let's be honest, every time they went to races they were committing a crime. I would allow her to be mad but I wouldn't tolerate hypocrisy. None of us had led completely pristine lives.

"Dom, you can't do that to this family again. I can't handle it all. How can you be so selfish?" she accused.

"Selfish?" I asked.

"Yeah. You don't even care that you hurt the people that love you. You don't care what kind of stress you put us under as long as you can do what you want to do," she said. This made me feel so shitty. I wasn't going to deny this. I couldn't. It wasn't that I didn't care about her, about all of them, but I had not considered the ramifications of my actions. I hadn't thought about how it would hurt them.

"I'm sorry, Mia. I am," I said. She threw down the last of the groceries and stormed out the door.

Well, that did not go as well as I would have hoped. I rubbed my head. Should I go after her? Would it really do any good? I heard her car engine crank and her tires squeal as she drove off. Great. I didn't really know where Mia would run off to. I walked back into the den. Vince and Leon were staring up at me with their jaws lying of the floor. Letty was trying to hold back a laugh. Yeah, sure, it was hilarious when you weren't me.

"What was that all about?" Leon asked, dropping the controller.

"Long story," I said, joining Letty on the couch.

They just continued to look at me, waiting.

"What? I'm pretty sure you heard it," I said, not wanting to go through it for what felt like the millionth time. The walls were not that thick that they didn't hear what was said, especially after the yelling started, which was pretty early on in the conversation.

"You ran a deal for Tran?" Vince asked. I didn't know if this was rhetorical or not. Obviously, I had and he had heard me say it if he was asking.

"So that's what all that was about yesterday," he continued, somewhat to himself. I could see the pieces of the puzzle starting to connect in his mind.

"Yeah," I just commented. I took my beer back. It was empty. I gave Letty a look.

"So what happened with the windshield?" Leon asked.

"It got shot out," I said plainly.

"Who was shooting at ya?" he asked surprised.

"I don't know. Apparently someone that was pissed," I retorted.

"Alright. Well, be careful, bro," Leon said. I enjoyed the way that Leon handled situations a lot more than Mia. It wasn't that he didn't care. But, he knew better than to ride me about it.

"Aren't you pissed Let?" Vince asked, looking over at her.

"I'm pissed about my car," she said.

"What were you running for Tran?" Vince asked.

"What does it matter? It's over," I said, a little grumpy.

"Hey, chill. I'm just surprised that all this went down," he said defensively.

"I know, man. It was just a stupid deal that we worked out. He's running automatics and some coke from somewhere up in Santa Monica. I didn't know that Tran fucked with drugs. But, apparently, the person that I got them from didn't know that Tran would be getting them either. They got pissed and started shooting," I explained. I felt the abbreviated version was more than sufficient.

"Damn, bro, that sucks," Vince remarked. It had sucked, to say the least. So had the aftermath that I was currently dealing with.

"Yeah," I agreed, flippantly.

"So, you going to go after Mia?" Letty asked.

"I don't know where she went," I replied.

Vince, Leon, and Letty looked at one another. I had a feeling that I was missing something. Silence covered the room and it was heavy. I just waited. They were going to have to speak again eventually. But, apparently, not any time soon. I continued to wait. I wasn't going to speak first. The silence was deafening. I was getting very antsy. I came close to asking.

"Maybe Rick Schrader's but I don't really know," Letty finally admitted.

"I don't know who that is," I said bewildered.

"Yeah you do," she stated.

"No I don't," I insisted. The name didn't sound at all familiar.

"Think back a couple of years. Think back to one night at Anthony's. Remember the guy that peed in Edwin's cup?" Vince reminded, somewhat laughing but really trying to hold it in. That had been a dick thing to do, but I remembered what he was talking about. We thought it was hilarious- afterwards. Edwin was our boy, for the most part, so the guy had been in some serious shit at the time. But, looking back, it was even funnier.

"That guy? Are you serious?" I said. I recalled him now. "He was a fucking poser."

"Still is," Leon added.

He was the type that had a good looking car with a large exhaust but nothing worth mentioning under the hood. He talked a lot of shit that he couldn't ever back up. Why would my baby sister be running to him? I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to hang out with him when forced to, let alone out of choice.

"Shit," I sighed. "Well, hell yeah I'll go after her. Where does he live?" I felt like this may be a good opportunity to kill him for being such a dumbass and having the nerve to try and get with my sister.

"No, that's not a good idea," Letty remarked.

"Hey, you suggested it," I stated. "Is she dating him?"

Letty just shrugged. No one wanted to answer this question. God damnit, why didn't they just give me a straight answer.

"How long has she been hanging out with him?" I asked.

"A couple of months I guess," Letty said.

"A couple of months? Someone could have mentioned this," I said, looking around at all of them, especially Letty.

"You know it's best not to mention something until it's already happened," Letty said. What a damn smart ass. I knew she was referring to the stunt I had just pulled with Tran.

"Dom, you're never going to like anyone that Mia dates," Leon commented.

"So she is dating him," I said.

"No, you know what I mean," Leon corrected.

"That's not true. I'd like them so long as they didn't suck," I said. This wasn't true. I would never like anyone that Mia dated. No one was ever going to be good enough for her. And, I would always want to seriously injure anyone that touched her or worse, hurt her. I guess it was best that I was in prison during Mia's prime dating years.

I got up and started towards the door.

"Where you going?" Letty called out.

"To fix your damn windshield," I stated angrily. I was in no mood for them right now. I wasn't used to petty drama and this was really gripping me. I figured working at the shop might help to calm me down before I did something stupid.

So Mia was mad at me for lying but she had never even mentioned that she was dating someone. Let alone someone as lame as this guy. Had she learned nothing about racers and especially those who pretended to be racers? They were clearly not the type of guys that were fit for dating. I thought she could just look around and me and my friends and tell that much.

Then I started getting really mad at myself. I had essentially just pushed her into the arms of this prick. She wouldn't have gone over and seen him this afternoon if it hadn't been for me. I made her mad. She didn't have anyone around that she wanted to confide in so she had to go find someone else. I thought she was close enough to the team to just talk to them. But, apparently, she needed to find someone else. I loved Mia. I loved having a sister. But, sometimes it was so stressful.

I stayed at the shop for a long time. I fixed Letty's windshield, replaced all her fluids, and even did an alignment. I did everything that I could think of to do at the shop. When I finished sweeping the floors and alphabetizing the work order history I decided I had to go back home. By the time I got back Vince had gone out. Jesse and Leon were watching television. Letty was asleep. Mia was still away. I decided to watch television and wait up for Mia.

A couple of hours and way too many bad movies later, Mia came strolling into the house. She glanced over at me but failed to make eye contact.

"Where were you?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

She just sighed and didn't answer.

"Mia, where did you go?" I insisted.

"None of your business, Dom," she said turning around to go upstairs. With this intense awkwardness that was building, Jesse and Leon immediately fled the room.

"Are you dating that guy?" I asked. I decided, regardless of the intelligence behind the choice, to just get right to the point.

"Who?" she asked.

"Rick Schrader," I stated.

"What does it matter?" she said, clearly not answering the question at all.

"Because he sucks," I said.

"Well you know what, Dom? He's nothing like you and I like that," she yelled. Ouch.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I yelled back. I knew what it meant but I asked anyway.

"He doesn't lie to me and he doesn't hurt me," she said, starting to tear up. He may not hurt her but I was going to have to hurt him. He was an easy scapegoat. And, if he were out of the picture, the problem would be gone too.

TBC

---

AJ


	10. Chapter 10

"You know you can't really do anything to Rick, huh?" Letty asked me as I laid down beside her in the bed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, the annoyance clearly coming out in my tone.

"Hey man, I'm not dating him. It ain't my place to tell you about Mia's love life," she said defensively.

"Would have been nice to have a heads up," I told her.

"Maybe you should ask yourself why _Mia_ didn't tell you," she replied.

"Let's just not talk about it," I uttered.

"Now you don't want to talk about it. You're something else," she said rolling over, away from me.

God. Today just needed to be over. It really had been downhill since I got out of bed this morning.

I couldn't fall asleep. I kept thinking about what Letty and Mia had said to me tonight. I don't know why Mia didn't feel like she could tell me. Mia had sent me countless letters and had come to visit me while I was at Lompoc. But, she had never mentioned this. 'A couple of months'. She had been seeing this guy for a couple of months. I didn't really know if that meant two or like six. Shit they could have been seeing each other for two years and I wouldn't know the difference apparently. But, regardless. Mia liked him because he was nothing like me. And, evidently, I couldn't do anything about Rick. I didn't know who I was more pissed off at. I didn't know if it was Mia for not feeling like she could tell me, Letty, Leon, Vince, and Jesse for keeping it from me, or Rick for fucking up my world. I think it was all of them.

I decided that since I clearly wasn't sleeping I would just get up. Maybe there was something I could do that would keep me busy. I didn't want to continue to replay the night's events over and over in my head. I sat up on the bed and rubbed my head. I was tired. I was exhausted. But, I wasn't going to lay here and drive myself crazy. I was out of prison; it was supposed to be time for restful sleep. That wasn't happening. So, I stood up.

"Where you going?" I heard Letty ask groggily.

It was 4 a.m., what were the options? But, instead of saying that I just said, "Can't sleep. What are you doing up?"

"Can't stop thinking about all the shit that went down tonight. And, I guess yesterday too," she replied.

I turned around. I didn't walk back over to the bed. Instead, I leaned against the bedroom wall. At least I wasn't the only one.

"Yeah," I said, half-heartedly agreeing.

"Know what I wonder?" she said. Was this a rhetorical question? This was one of those questions that regardless of which answer I gave, yes or no, she was going to interpret it as me wanting to know.

"Hm?" I grumbled, instead of verbally responding.

"How everything is possibly going to be able to work out now. I mean, I just don't see it happening," she said straight up.

This hit me like a bus. What the fuck did that mean? I hadn't even been worried about everything working out a few seconds ago. Now, hell. Did she mean work out between us? Being with Letty was the only thing I was sure about. The only thing that made sense right now. It was the only thing that hadn't seemed to change. It was my normal.

"Awesome! Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better," I said sarcastically and much louder than necessary. Fuck.

I turned around and reached out for the door handle. There was no reason for me to sit here. I needed to go figure things out. Was that Letty's way of starting to break up with me? We hadn't even had time to get things off the ground. I couldn't understand what had gone so wrong between yesterday and today to allow for this move on her part.

"Stop!" she exclaimed. "Don't walk out!"

"Letty, today's pretty much sucked. I don't want to sit here and fucking listen to you…rag on me, break up with me. Whatever you're trying to do," I explained, fumbling around with my words. It was 4 o'clock in the morning. I wasn't extremely coherent.

"Come here," she said.

I didn't respond.

"Dominic…please," she said again, changing her tone. It was softer.

I sighed and walked over to the bed. I didn't sit down. I felt her hand reach out and grab mine. She pulled my hand down and over. I allowed her to lead me onto the bed. I didn't want things to change between her and me.

"Since I know that you ain't going to want to talk about shit right now, I will. You can listen," she started. "I love you, Dom. I have for…a really long time. But, since you've come back, it ain't been the same."

"Letty," I started.

She didn't let me continue. She said, "Wait. Let me finish. I love what a leader you are. You know that. It's incredibly sexy. But, you got to realize that we've had to go for two years without you. You can't just step back up and try to control everyone's life."

"That's not what I been trying to do," I explained.

"Don't matter what you been trying to do. That's what it seems like you're doing. You need to relax. And this thing with Mia. The Dominic that I fell in love with would want his sister to be happy. I don't know if this is the guy for her. But, fuck, put your damn pride on hold. I know you're mad that you didn't know about it. But work on becoming part of this family again. Support your fucking sister. She's smart girl. She has better taste in guys than I do," she said.

I was listening really intently to what she was saying. Everything she was saying was right. It took me a minute to catch on to that last part, though. 'Better taste in guys'. I hoped Mia had better taste in guys than Letty. It made me laugh- as much as I could with all the stress I felt like I was under.

"Don't push Mia away. You push her too far you may lose her. That don't mean that you got to be best friends with everyone she wants to date. And I'm not saying don't scare them a little. But, you don't let Mia see that. You show her support. You show her that you trust her choices. She's an adult Dom. Let her live. You can't jump on her every time she makes a decision that you don't think is right," Letty explained.

I pondered what she said for a second. She was right. I wasn't being a good brother to Mia. I was pissed that everyone knew something I didn't. I was kind of mad about everyone keeping a 'secret' from me. But, Mia could date whomever she wanted. I wanted her to feel like she could bring them around. I didn't want her sneaking off seeing people. I didn't want to cause her to go run to the wrong guy.

But, that made me think of another point. "I get what you're saying. I do. You're right. But, what's this got to do us?" I asked.

"Us? Listen, shit's going to fall back into place with the team. And with you racing. But, you can't rush things. This 'too much, too fast' thing you got in your head right now is going to kill us, Dom. Let things happen. And when they do, then we'll ride or die," she said, repeating a phrase we had used so many times. It was our philosophy, as a team. We used it to refer to everything- our racing, our relationships, our work, our lives. Give it your all or else give up. But, I understood the idea she was attempting to convey to me. I couldn't jump back into my spot. I would get there, but I had to get there gradually. That sucked.

"Us - the team, or us - you and me?" I asked.

"You'll always be part of the team. I mean, hell, you and V, founding members. You can't kick out the Godfather," she joked.

"Damn straight," I agreed.

"And, us, you and me, I don't want to lose you Dom. Not again," she stated.

"So then what ain't going to work?" I said. I was confused at where that initial 'wondering' statement of hers had come from. I was worried too.

"Hopefully everything will. But, I was talking about this family," she answered. "You're stuck with me until _you_ decide to leave."

"Alright, well," I said, standing up off the bed, pretending to leave.

"Get back over here," she said, reaching out and pulling me back down on the bed.

"Fine, thought I had a choice," I joked.

"Oh, you wouldn't last two days without me," she retorted.

"Well, wouldn't want to anyway," I told her.

"So you got to apologize to Mia tomorrow," she told me.

I let out a huge sigh.

"You suck at apologies so try hard," she added.

"What? No, I don't," I said, shocked.

"Yeah you do," she laughed.

"Really?" I asked. Granted, I had never thought they were my specialty, and I always really hated doing it, but this was the first I'd ever heard of my actually sucking at them.

"Hate to break it to you," she said. "But, apparently it don't matter. I still take you back."

"Can't resist the charm," I said cockily.

"Something like that."

We didn't say anything else. We just laid there. I held her in my arms. I looked out the window and, despite all the ambient light from the city, saw some stars.

-

The next morning I woke up alone. I looked around the room. Definitely alone. I rolled over and closed my eyes, refusing to get up yet. I had no idea what time it was, I didn't want to put forth the effort of looking at the clock. I was about to drift back off to sleep when I heard a loud commotion out in the hallway.

"The fuck dawg?" I heard Leon scream.

"Nah, hell nah, I know you ain't mad about that shit," Vince yelled.

I pulled the pillow over my head, trying to muffle the noise from the chaos outside. What the hell could be such a big deal that they had to scream at each other first thing in the morning? I wanted to kill them both. But, that would involve getting up, which I was not ready to do.

"How could you do that, bro?" Leon yelled.

"Do what? You ain't with her," Vince replied.

"Shut the fuck up," I yelled out to them.

"Man, I's trying to get with her. You knew that," Leon said, only slightly quieter.

"Maybe you should've told her that," Vince retorted.

"Thought telling you would be enough!"

"You said you wanted to try to hit that. How's that different from what you say about most girls. You didn't miss out on much, bro."

I didn't want to hear their conversation right now. I could care less about who had hooked up with whom at this hour. There was a moment of silence. I tried hard to fall back to sleep but heard a loud crash in the hallway.

"Fuck dude!" Vince yelled. "What the hell was that for?"

With that, I slammed my pillow down. They needed to take it, whatever it was, somewhere else. These guys were my family, my team, but they were about to be dead if they didn't quiet down. I reached hastily for the doorknob and yanked open the door.

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled before even opening my eyes. I saw Vince, his nose bleeding, holding his jaw.

I glanced over at Leon. He pulled his fist back, ready to take another shot at Vince.

"Whoa, whoa," I said, grabbing Leon before he could make contact with Vince's face again. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Dom," Leon said, shaking his head. I could tell that he wanted to say more. But, he stopped. His body language relaxed. He stood there, completely still. Finally, he shook his head, turned around, and walked off.

"What'd you do?" I asked, looking directly at Vince.

"Why's this all coming back to me?" Vince asked, wiping some of the blood from his nose.

"You tell me, V. I's trying to sleep. What the hell's Leon doing punching you at…I don't even know what time it is. Too early for all this," I said yawning and rubbing my eyes.

"Monica," he replied. Then, giving a smile and half-laugh he added, "you know her."

"Monica who?" I asked. We knew about ten girls named Monica.

"Long blonde hair, real hot. Runs with Amber and whatever that other chick's name is. Used to date Toby back in high school," he clarified.

"Yeah, I know who you talking about. Ain't worth fighting over," I said. I knew her. I knew her before Letty and I got together. And she definitely wasn't worth fighting over. She was a carbon copy of about seventy other racer-chasers that tagged along each weekend.

"I told him that."

"Alright. This is you guys deal so, whatever," I said. I was not getting into drama surrounding Vince, Leon, and some girl I had slept with back in the day. I think this was what Letty had been referring to. I wanted to take her advice. I wanted to back off. So, instead of pressing him further, I left and walked down the stairs.

By the time I made it down to the kitchen, I heard Leon's tires squeal out of the driveway. I lifted the blinds enough to see him leave a trail of smoke behind. Damn. It took a lot to piss Leon off like that. This was, apparently, yet another situation I was completely obvious to. I saw Letty sitting on the counter nursing a cup of coffee. I didn't say a word. I made my way up to hear and began slowly kissing her neck. My hands began snaking their way up the back of her shirt when I was abruptly interrupted.

"Yeah, here it is, Letty. This is what I was talking…" Mia started but stopped. "Morning, Dom. Nice of you to decide to wake up today."

"Urgh," I groaned, pulling my hands out from under Letty's shirt. "When did everyone start getting up so early?"

I had strategically placed myself in between Letty's legs. I didn't move from this position. I tried to continue my work on her neck but she stopped me. Instead, her mouth found my left ear. She began tracing it with her tongue. I smiled as the intensity grew.

"Now's your chance," Letty whispered. Then, she stopped. I looked at her, slightly surprised by her sudden disengagement. She just smiled and jumped off the counter, leaving the room. This left me alone. With Mia. And, apparently, this was my chance.

TBC

---

AJ


	11. Chapter 11

I turned around awkwardly. Mia was wiping the counters with a sponge. She briefly darted her eyes towards me. For a split second we made eye contact. Then she looked away. Boy was she mad. She was taking it out on the counters for the time being. That was fine with me. I stood there, watching, not really knowing what to say. We hadn't exactly ended on a warm and fuzzy note yesterday. Damn Letty, always forcing me to see Mia in a different light.

"You just gonna stand there all day watching me?" she finally asked irritated.

"No," I responded, still not making a move.

"Well?" she asked.

I just stood there.

"Spit it out, Dom. What have you got to say to me?"

I looked at her.

"Alright, well I don't have time for this. Some of us…"

I cut her off. "Why didn't you want to tell me about your, _boyfriend_," I said, the last word difficult to choke out.

"Because I knew you would react like this."

"Mia, you didn't even give me a chance. I didn't have a choice about how to react. You blow up at me and run off. Next I hear you're with some fuckin' prick I never even heard of. How'd you expect me to react?"

"Prick, huh? That's real mature," she responded. " Listen, I don't want to fight with you. Lot's happened since you've been gone, Dom. There's a lot you don't know."

"Yeah, I've realized that."

"Why don't you trust me? When have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

"I do trust you, Mi," I told her, trying to calm down.

"You don't act like it," she said, stepping back from me.

"Mia, you're my sister. It's my job to take care of you, watch out for you. I promised Dad. And, I know I ain't done a very good job with that these past couple of years since Dad's been gone. But, I'm back now and I want to."

"Yeah but what does that mean? _Take care of me_? I'm not a little kid. I can take care of myself. I haven't really had much of a choice, have I?"

Ouch. That stung.

What did 'take care of' mean? I didn't have a clue. But, I felt like I probably needed to give her an answer.

"I just don't want you to feel like you got to hide shit from me," I said, my voice softer. I moved towards her.

"Well so far you haven't really handled things well," she said, her body still stiff, but she didn't move further away. I felt like it was a step in the right direction.

"So, what then? That's it? We're just gonna be strangers livin' in the same house?"

"No, that's not what I said. Don't put words in my mouth, Dom," she said, her brow wrinkling back into frustration.

"Then say what you mean," I said.

"We both know that the reason you're down here talking to me about this. Letty made you. She wants everything to be okay. But, listen, I grew up, Dom. Maybe you haven't noticed. But, I'm an adult now. And that's the kind of life I'm going to live. But I want to be a family with you again. I really do. You just have to recognize that and stop treating me like I'm a little kid. If I bring a guy over you don't like, that's not really your call to make."

I thought about it for a second. What she said made sense. I didn't like it. But it made sense. I wanted Mia to be her own person in her own house. And, I figured if she felt comfortable then I would be able to watch her closer. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Fine. But you can't date any of my friends," I warned.

"Don't worry. That's definitely not an issue," she laughed.

"Okay, good."

"Well, I'm glad you said that. Because Ricky's coming over here for the BBQ that you're going to throw tonight," she said. She smiled, and threw the sponge at me before she walked out of the room.  
Simple reflexes caused me to catch the sponge in midair. But my brain had not quite registered the rest of it until she left the room. I was throwing a BBQ- okay. That sounded like fun. But Ricky was coming. That did not sound like fun. I was going to have to try. I promised myself that I would try, for Mia.

I flipped the chicken over with the grilling tongs, checking to make sure the barbeque sauce equally covered both sides. It was almost cooked to perfection. Letty walked up to me, sticking her hand in my back pants pocket. She squeezed my ass gently, enough to cause a reaction though. I looked down at her.

"You gonna be nice?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm always nice," I softly grumbled to her.

She let out a sarcastic laugh before walking over to the cooler. She opened it quickly and grabbed two beers. She used her belt buckle as a bottle opener to pop off the caps before handing one to me. It was sexy in a Macgyver kind of way.

"This may help," she joked.

I lifted it up and took a long swig. As I sat the bottle down, I heard a loud exhaust heading towards the house. I looked over to see a neon green Accord with a modified exhaust and a front end conversion. I was fairly confident that the enhancements under the hood were minimal to nonexistent. Without even noticing, I raised my eyebrows and shot the car, as well as the driver, a disapproving look.

A younger guy, who looked to be in his early 20's, got out of the car. He was wearing basketball shorts and a white tee-shirt. He strutted up the driveway, appearing very casual and comfortable.

Mia walked out of the house carrying a plate of food. As she made her way down the steps, she noticed Ricky walking up the driveway. She quickened her step and approached him, hands still full. When Mia walked up to Ricky, he pulled her close to him and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Though I had not taken my eyes of Ricky since he pulled up, I quickly changed my facial expression after this overt display of affection.

"Dom," Letty said.

I hesitated, still staring down the kid that was kissing my baby sister.

"Dom," Letty repeated, a bit louder.

I turned my head and faced her. She shot me a look. I knew that look. It meant _chill out_. That was easier said then done. My jaw was still clenched. I had a deep urge to go kick his ass. But, I abstained.

Mia and Ricky made their way up the driveway. Leon, Vince, and Jesse joined me in sending Ricky an adequate death stare. Mia just smiled.

She walked up to the picnic table and sat down the food in her hands. Ricky stood there, saying nothing but exuding confidence that was pissing the entire team off more and more by the second.

"Um, Ricky this is my brother Dom, Letty, Vince, Leon and Jesse," Mia said, making her way around the grill and picnic area. "Everybody this is Ricky."

"Sup," Ricky nodded to the group, not addressing anyone in particular.

"Okay," Mia stated, after no one responded. "Well how's the chicken coming Dom?"

"Just about completely dried out after having to wait so long," I responded, still eying the guy.

"Well, I'm sure it will be great. Why don't you put it on the plate and bring it to the table," she insisted.

She walked over to one side of the picnic table, leading Ricky alongside, and took a seat. The team had not moved. It looked like they were frozen statues, with only their eyes following Ricky.

"Come on guys," Mia stated after several seconds. "Sit down," she said, more demanding.

Leon was the first to comply. He took a seat at the end of the table, closest to Mia. Letty followed suit, sitting directly across from the happy couple. Vince reached into the cooler, grabbing another beer, but holding back. Jesse looking around nervously, checking my face before sitting beside Letty. I placed the chicken onto the plate and made my way to the head of the table. Vince followed him, shuffling his feet like a rabid dog getting ready to pounce. He was forced to take the last seat right across from Ricky.

"Looks good," Leon said, with a slight effort to break the thick tension that had surrounded the group.

"Oh yeah," Jesse replied. Everyone looked at the chicken hungrily. No one was willing to take the first piece.

Unknowingly, Ricky reached out and grabbed a steaming hot piece. "Uh, hold up. You got to say grace," I finally spoke.

"Huh?" Ricky replied, obviously confused.

"It's a tradition. The first person to reach out and grab food has to say grace," Mia informed him calmly.

"Oh, uh, I don't really do that," he spoke.

"You do if you eat at our table," I stated gruffly.

"Alright, man, well I'll see what I can do," he said, sarcasm dripping from each word. "Good food, good meat. Good God let's eat," he said, and looked up.

Each member of the team exchanged glances. What the hell was that supposed to be? Leon looked over at me. I had to bite my tongue from making a comment.

"Alright, let's eat everybody," Mia said cheerfully. She was trying to pacify the situation.

TBC

So, It's been forever since I've updated. But I had a baby then I had writer's block- so that's a pretty good excuse. Anyway, I'm back in the game. So, is Dom gonna kill him? Guess we'll have to wait and see. He may…

AJ


	12. Chapter 12

So this chapter gets a little raunchy- reader discretion is advised.

I tried to give him a chance. At least, I think I tried to give him a chance. But I had never tried so hard at anything in my life. Basically when it came down to it, the guy sucked. He was a ricey poser and we had no room on our team for people like Rick Schrader. Even more than that, seeing the way Mia looked at him made the blood in my veins boil. It took every fiber of self-control I didn't even know I had not to lunge across the table and break his face.

I didn't talk during the barbeque. I figured that was for the best. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all – and I knew there was no way in hell I was going to say anything nice to that punk.

I focused on eating and drinking, trying to block all other noises out. After my fourth, maybe fifth (who was counting) beer I was starting to feel a lot more relaxed. That was a comforting alternative to the stress of earlier. I reached for my beer, my hand wrapping completely around the frame before pulling the cold, goodness to my lips.

Letty had joined me on the couch, watching an old episode of _The Simpsons_, and snuggling up against my left side.

Vince had entertained more than his fair share of beers for the night. He and Leon were preparing to go out and hit the town. I didn't know exactly where Mia and Rick were. Last she had stated, she was going to tell him goodbye. That was a good enough answer to satisfy me. Beyond that, I did not even want to know.

"Ready for a night of debauchery?" Leon asked Vince, as they made their way down the stairs.

"De- what?" Vince asked. I looked up at them. Some things never change.

Leon just shook his head. "You comin'," he asked, looking over at me.

"Nah, I'm here. You guys have fun," I waved him off, finishing off my beer and popping open the next.

"Letty, how about you? You down for a little party action?" he asked her.

"Think you're gonna have to count me outa this one too," she responded.

"Alright, well just you and me," Leon said, looking at Vince. "Let's go have some fun, dawg," Leon responded, giving me and Letty a knowing nod before turning back to Vince.

"Yeah, dude, and I'm all set," he said. He flashed a full bottle of bourbon before reaching for something in his pocket.

"What's that?" I asked, setting down my beer and leaning up as my curiosity spiked.

"They're pills. You take 'em when you drink and then you don't get a hangover the next day," he informed the group, talking to no one in particular.

"Hm…so take 'em," Letty urged. Oh, guess that's my girl, always the positive influence. She got up off the couch and walked towards Vince, looking at what he had in his hand.

"Nah, you take one after each drink," he corrected her, slurring his words slightly.

"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," he responded confidently.

"V- you can't even…nevermind. Alright, do it. Let me know how that works out for you. Taking them after every single drink….crazy. I'm going to take a shower. You guys have a blast," she said trailing off up the stairs.

"You sure those are legit, bro?" I asked for reassurance.

"Totally. I bought them at the gas station on the corner," he stated.

"Well then obviously that had to be a prime purchase. I'm sure they'll work awesome," I mocked. But at the same time I just couldn't help but think- shit, he is never going to remember to do that. That plan had failed before it even got off the ground. What kind of hangover pill requires you to remember to take it after every drink? If you think you are going to get a hangover, clearly you are planning to drink copious amounts of alcohol. After a bottle of bourbon I can barely remember my name, the fact I don't smoke, if I'm dating anyone, that hard liquor makes me speak in crazy tongues, what my friends names are, where I live…but Vince is going to remember to take a pill after every drink. I wish him the best of luck!

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Leon asked before leading an already inebriated Vince out the door.

"I think I've had about enough for one night. Just gonna turn in early. Take it easy," I told them.

"Alright now, peace," Leon said, slowly herding Vince and his magic beanstalk pills out the door.

I watched the rest of the episode before an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion rushed into my body. I was ready for bed. A good shower and my amazing bed were all I needed at this point. I turned off the television, finished my fifth, maybe sixth beer, and made my way upstairs.

I heard the water running in the hall bathroom. Fuck, we needed more bathrooms in this house. All I wanted was to shower and go to sleep- how hard is that? Jesus, days were bound to get better. I walked up and pounded on the door fervently. If it was Mia, she better hurry the fuck up.

"What?" I heard Letty's voice, raspy and impatient.

I decided not to even respond, maybe sleep could wait...I opened the door. The mirror was covered in condensation and the bathroom was somewhat foggy. I pulled off my tank and tossed it beside the clothes Letty had obviously thrown on the floor. I unbuttoned my shorts and slid down my boxers in one swift motion. Slowly, I approached the shower. Letty appeared not to notice my presence in the room, which made it even more fun.

I stretched out my hand and pulled the curtain over just enough to slide in. The water, though not boiling hot, made me wince initially. I stood there, only for a couple of seconds before she looked up. But for those brief moments, I saw her. Her eyes were closed, enjoying the pulse of the water on her back. The water gushed down and hit her skin like tiny bullets. The liquid flowed down the front of her body, creating curving streams down her tanned skin. The way the beads formed around her nipples created small waterfalls, emphasizing their erectness (in every sense of the word).

From there, the water soared down to her stomach. Her stomach flexed slightly while her arms were raised to her dark locks. I saw the toned outline of her abs leading a sensual path down to her pronounced pelvic bone, highlighting her petite frame.

As her eyes opened, her arms, copper and shaped around the tricep, dropped to her side. A look of shock was quickly replaced by a devilish smile.

"This shower is occupied," she hissed through knowing eyes.

"Yeah?" I asked cockily, moving up, almost flush with her body, but with just enough distance to not directly touch her. "What are you gonna do about it?" I asked moving my head down towards her neck, breathing the last words into the fold between her neck and collarbone. I restrained myself from actually placing my lips on her wet skin.

Exhibiting the same nervous habit from before, she bit the bottom left side of her lip. With each move she made, I felt myself growing harder. God she was beautiful. I wanted her. I wanted to be inside her.

"Oh," she started, flashing me an shit eating grin, "don't make me push you out of here."

"Just try. I dare you," I smiled, biting my tongue between my upper and lower teeth, just enough that she could see the tip.

She lifted her arms and nudged me. It didn't make me move, but it made me smile.

"What now?" she asked taking a step forward and pressing her body into me.

"You pushed me," I stated, trying to act offended.

"Push back."

She was shorter than me, and in all the right places! Her lower abdomen pressed hard into my ever-growing erection. And her hands, which slowly touched along the perimeter of my thighs and moved around towards my inner thigh, only helped to excite things.

I smiled down at her, one side of my mouth clearly curling up faster than the other. I knew I was probably shooting her some sort of goofy half-smile but I couldn't help it. She turned me on. All the blood had left my brain for regions further south. I wasn't responsible for anything that happened beyond that point. I had to take her.

One arm quickly wrapped around her and my hand buried itself in her hair. I pulled her in for a kiss- passionate, fierce. I couldn't get enough of her and continued to kiss, slipping my tongue into her sweet mouth. I felt her tongue, soft and tantalizing against mine. I took her bottom lip and sucked on it slightly before teasing it with the tip of my tongue. I felt her let out a brief moan against my mouth. My tongue explored her mouth before abandoning it to find that soft spot on her neck. It was easy to remember, the sweet spot that drove her crazy. I felt the vein purging that fell laterally between her ear and collarbone. I knew where to find the spot from there. I felt my way, using my tongue and her moans like a sexy game of Marco/Polo. When I found it, she immediately responded, pressing herself into me until I did not know where she ended and I began. I held her body, kissing her neck as I slid my right hand down along the side of her body. She was so soft. Soft almost satin. The water created a slickness that was hypnotizing. I felt my way along her body- from her breasts, down her ribcage, until stopping just above her hipbone- like I was reading Braille. I pulled her closer, completely flush with my body. I led her to the left, and turned her around to face me until her back was pressed against the wall of the shower. I lifted her left leg so that it was wrapped around my waist. I wanted to just slip inside her but first, I wanted to feel her cringe in my arms. I slide my hand down until I found the slits of her clit. I gently began rubbing, not even needing water for lubrication, she was wet enough. I used my thumb to stroke along the hood of her clit while sinking my index finger deep inside her. I felt the dampness of her from the inside, followed by warmth. I lifted my index finger about an inch, inch and a half upward until I felt the ridges. I knew that was the spot. When my finger made contact I felt her groan, falling somewhat limp against my body. With that, I plunged my middle finger in, joining my index to pump in and out against the ridges, while working my thumb in concentric circles. After only a few short minutes I felt that familiar feeling. A tightness of the muscles followed by a shutter in her body. She couldn't hold back the moans. I didn't want her too.

"You like that?" I asked, cockily.

"Oh God," was all she could say.

"You feel so good. So tight."

"God, Dominic. Yes, right there," she moaned.

I smiled to myself, my hard on pulsating.

"Oh, oh God, yeah, oh," she let out over several moments, quivering. She looked up at me with thankful eyes, pulling me in for a deep kiss. She was never one much for words so she let me know how she felt in her kiss. And she obviously felt good.

Her leg was still wrapped around my waist, making a very direct path for my hardened member to find her. I cupped my hand around the left side of her ass, I felt her tense up as I consumed her face in another kiss- this time with more power. She was driving me crazy. I eased up close to her, my erection pressing against her damp skin. The wet shower floor required its own unique set of balancing skills but I was up for the challenge. I quickly moved my hand away from her ass just long enough to guide myself into her. As the tip entered, I felt the slight resistance of her tightness. Edging in gently, I pressed my length into her. She let out a quick gasp as her eyes closed, head tilted back, and mouth opened before humming with pleasure. The look of ecstasy on her face was so erotic that I did not know how long I was going to be able to last. I pulled out the full length before entering her again, faster. The movement caused her body to slide up the shower wall. I pumped in and out of her, faster and faster. I felt her nails sinking into my back. I steadied her up against the wall as she lifted up her other leg to wrap around my waist. I looked down and watched as I quickly entered her again and again, her dampness making it easier and easier for me to engorge my full length inside. I felt all the pressure building in intensity at the head of my shaft, starting small and then growing stronger and stronger.

"Oh fuck yeah," was all I could manage to articulate, coming out as more of a growl than actual words as I got closer. I held back, waiting to feel that pulsating reaction from her as she reached her climax. I picked up the speed, using one arm to hold her up and the other to steady myself against the wall.

Her body shuttered as a deep, throaty moan escaped her trembling lips. The sound and feeling of her was all it took to send me over the edge. I exploded, forcing my eyes shut as I did nothing but feel the sensation of cumming. One thrust after another allowed the total release, all the passion, energy and physical movements rocketed off like a shuttle blasting into space. I felt my juices being pumped into her as my toes began to involuntarily curl. I hesitated briefly before slowly entering a few more times, my shaft sensitive and on stimulation overload. I opened my eyes and looked down at her. Her legs still wrapped around my waist, she smiled up at me. I leaned forward, taking her mouth into a kiss. I was panting, so was she. I stood up straighter, giving my arm a rest from supporting our bodies against the wall. She unwrapped her legs and I sat her down.

"If you wanted the shower all you had to do was ask," she joked, smiling up and fiddling with her hair.

I shrugged, "more fun this way. Besides, no need to get too clean. I like to keep things a little dirty."

She laughed. "You're impossible."

"Probably," I responded. "So, you finished?" I asked, reaching to turn off the water.

"Yeah," she said, grabbing her towel and pulling the curtain aside. "Twice." The last statement seemed more of an afterthought as she stepped out of the shower. I smiled to myself at the accomplishment.

I stepped out of the shower, pulling a clean towel down from the top shelf of the bathroom closet. I quickly patted my upper body before wrapping the towel around my lower half.

I opened the bathroom door, wearing just my towel around my waist. As soon as I swung the door open to view the hall, I saw Mia, arm up and in mid-knock. She jumped back, startled. Looking from me, to Letty, and back again she just scoffs.

"Ugh, I really don't wanna know what just happened in there," she groaned, moving out of the doorway to give us room to pass.

"Sorry it took so long," I joked in a suggestive manner.

"I'm not," Letty smiled deviously.

TBC

AJ

A/N- So - like my other story - I know it has taken me a thousand years to update! I apologize! Don't even know if anyone is still keeping up with this or not. But if you are, thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

We made our way into my bedroom. Letty dropped her towel on the floor as she started to put on one of my old undershirts. I just sat on the bed, watching her change. She looked so sexy in my clothes. There was something about a girl wearing your clothes. Not that I didn't love the short skirts and see-through tops. But, this was a different kind of sexy.

"Enjoying the show?" she asked after noticing that my eyes hadn't left her body.

I just smiled. I had enjoyed Letty and whatever show she put on since the day I met her. This was no different. I enjoyed every aspect of her.

"You could add a little dance to that sexy strip tease," I joked.

She scoffed, "dream on."

I was still sitting on the edge of the bed as Letty made her way over to me. She approached me and just stood there, looking into my eyes. I could look at her all day and all night. She was hypnotizing. My favorite drug. Addicting.

She slowly lifted her legs around me until she was straddling me. She lifted her body up on her knees and looked down at me. Our lips met, soft at first, but growing rapidly in fervency.

"Can I come in," Mia said knocking, and opening the door at the same time.

"No," I said aloud as I noticed Letty standing up off of me. I don't know if I was asking Letty not to get off me, or Mia not to come in. I guess the response worked either way.

"Oh, God," Mia said, covering her eyes, but not bothering to leave the room.

"Nice timing," I commented to Mia sarcastically.

"Jesus, are you two rabbits or something? I mean can you never take a break?" Mia asked.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mia? Or did you just come in here to cock block me?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"Ugh, so many images I do not want in my head right now," she stated. "Sorry to…interrupt. But, I just wanted to thank you Dom. I know that today wasn't especially easy for you. And you did it for me. I appreciate it. I had a lot of fun. It was nice having all my favorite men under one roof, and no one trying to kill anyone."

"I know what it meant to you. You're welcome. I'd do pretty much anything for you, Mi. But you can't make me promise not to break his neck if he hurts you," I told her.

She rolled her eyes at me. She must not have realized how serious I was by that statement. I would gladly destroy any man that every brought pain to her. She'd experienced enough pain for a lifetime.

"Whatever. Goodnight guys," she said, and turned to leave.

"Night, girl," Letty commented, walking over to the dresser. She grabbed her brush and started to brush through her long locks. I tried not to get swept away in her again, though it was a difficult struggle.

I stood up and grabbed a clean pair of shorts from my drawer. I pulled off the towel, and tossed it to the other side of the room. I pulled on the shorts. I was truly exhausted at this point.

"You still never learned how to pick up a damn thing, did you?" Letty asked, gathering my towel up off the floor.

"Don't need to long as there's women around," I joked with her. She slapped me hard on the ass as she walked by. If she thought that served as punishment for me, I could make chauvinistic jokes all day long.

She left the room, I assumed to put the towels up. While she was gone I walked over to the bed. I pulled back the comforter and climbed in, moving far to the other side so she would have plenty of room. For her size, Letty sure knew how to hog a bed. I figured I might as well give her a head start.

When she came back in the room, she flipped off the lights. The room was instantly filled with darkness, with the exception of several rays of streetlight that seeped in through the break in the curtains. It was enough to show her outline as she edged towards the bed. The mattress barely shifted as she moved in.

I pulled her close to me and wrapped both my arms around her. I kissed her shoulder delicately. She smelled like, well, my Letty. It wasn't a scent I could describe. A mixture of all things wonderful.

I heard her let out a long sigh. "Are you alright?" I asked, making sure she was comfortable.

"Mm," she responded. "Just hold me."

"I'll never let you go," I told her, pulling her even closer.

"You keep me safe."

"That's all I ever wanna do," I told her.

"Promise you won't ever hurt me," she said. I could feel the hesitation in her voice.

"I promise," I assured her. I felt her relax, and her breathing even out. It didn't take long before it was clear she was asleep. Listening to the sounds of her breathing as a sweet lullaby, I felt myself drift off to sleep.

I walked around. It was like everything around me was black. I had tunnel vision. I knew where I was. I knew I was at Mitch's garage. But I couldn't see anything except him. Kenny Linder. The man who took my father from me. My heart was beating so loudly I could actually hear it thumping through my chest. My blood ran hot and my fists clinched tight. My jaw tightened as I gritted my teeth. The fact that he was here, living, walking around, smiling, the way my father never would be able to again. He just stood there, as if he were not a killer. As if he hadn't destroyed my world in an instant. A selfish instant.

I could tell I walked by a shelf because it knocked my shoulder. I reached onto the shelf. I don't know what I grabbed. Something. It was metal; I could feel the coolness in my palm. I had to confront him. I had no idea what I was going to do. But he needed to feel as bad as I did.

I walked up to him from behind. He didn't even notice me. I lifted my arm. I just kept lifting my arm, over and over. I felt liquid. I heard shattering. The people screaming, yelling in the background were just a blurry haze of white noise. Over and over again I lifted up my arm, only to notice it drop again. I had no strength left in my arm. That was when I realized. I realized I was completely covered in something wet. What was all over me? It was red. Was I bleeding? No. I wasn't bleeding. I looked around me. All I saw was a puddle of blood. And the man that used to resemble Kenny Linder. He looked different. His face morphed into a distorted image of a person. This almost zombie like figure lay still. I stood up, stunned, and looked around. There was nothing, no shop, no people. I looked back down at Linder. His arms lifted up and in robot-like motions he reached for me. Blood was dripping off every crevice of his body. He was reaching for me. I didn't know what his touch would mean. He got closer, and closer….

"Huh," I gasped loudly, sitting up in my bed. I was completely out of breath. My body was covered in sweat. It was a dream, just a dream. Well, just a nightmare. I had dreamed this same dream countless times. It was hard to distinguish which parts of it were true and which parts were my imagination.

I looked around the room. It was morning. That was apparent by the amount of light that filled the room. Letty was not in the bed. I was glad she had not experienced me in my nightmare. I didn't want anyone to see me like that. I sat up, catching my breath and trying to calm down.

I wiped my eyes, and rubbed one hand over my head. Holy shit, I thought the dreams would end now that I was back home. I guess prison does nothing to settle a man's guilt.

"Yo, Dom, move it or lose it, brother," Leon yelled from the hallway.

Fuck. Getting up and going to work was a routine that I was going to have to get used to again. I stood up off the bed, grabbed a pair of shorts and a clean shirt before headed to the shower. I needed to wash the dream off of me. I wanted to leave all past memories behind.

The water felt almost refreshing, but it was hard to shake the feeling that spawned from the dream. It created a cloud over me, bringing back those feelings of shame, remorse, and anger. I got out and dried off, dressing quickly because I could smell breakfast downstairs.

When I made it into the kitchen, it was just Mia and Leon. Leon was messing with some electronic equipment on the table. I kissed Mia on the cheek while stealing a piece of bacon from the plate.

"Hey, hold on a sec and I'll just make you a plate," she said, slapping my hand away.

"Where is everybody?" I asked, ignoring her reprimand and grabbing another piece. She just shot me an annoyed look.

"They went ahead to the garage. Figured you needed to get some sleep," Leon said, distracted.

"What is that?" I asked, questioning the contraption he had on the table.

"Right now, something broke. But it's gonna be a police scanner," he told me.

"Hm," I commented, taking the plate that Mia handed me.

"You know, for the races. That way we can stay a step ahead and not get trapped in by the po-po," he elaborated.

"Awesome," I told him. Leon and Jesse certainly added a much needed level of technological intelligence to the team that was extremely useful.

I shoveled down the food. I had not realized quite how hungry I was. I had missed Mia's cooking. I think she just had a natural talent for cooking, much like our mother. I gathered up my stuff, putting my dishes in the sink.  
"Thanks, Mi. I'm heading to the garage," I told the room, not looking at anyone in particular.

"Have fun. I'm at the store today," she told me. "Can you take my car in? I really need my oil changed?" She tossed me her keys and I caught them in the air. "And I want all my windows intact when I get it back."

I just scoffed and smiled. I loved Mia, and her complete inability, or unwillingness, to do any car maintenance, even on her own car. I guess as long as she lived with a bunch of gear heads she could get away with it.

"I'll be there in a bit. I just gotta get this right here and…." he said, not finishing his thought but focusing on the task in his hands.

I didn't respond, just walked out and over to Mia's car. I hadn't driven her car since I went into Lompoc. It was just the same as I remembered, maybe a little more power. I knew she would never allow too many modifications to her car because she was afraid of being pulled over and getting a ticket. But it got me there quick enough.

I pulled up. It looked different than it had the other day. Different, but also the same as it always looked. I walked inside and smelled the amazing smell of oil, rubber, and sweat. It was home. I smiled at the equipment, really taking it all in. The other night I had been so distracted by my emotions that I hadn't been able to fully appreciate being one with the garage again. Some of the equipment had been upgraded, some looked more worn, but all and all it was my little heaven on earth.

I made my way over to the work orders. We had a several, but nothing extremely pressing. Most were waiting on parts that were on order from Racer's Edge. Some were due to come in today. I wondered if Harry would be the one to deliver them, or if he'd have one of his pack mules do it. Harry usually hired pretty good people. I looked out to the front of the garage. I noticed a light blue Toyota. But that wasn't what caught my attention. There was a guy leaning next to it, talking to Letty. My Letty. And not just talking to her, making her laugh. I wasn't close enough to hear what they had to say. But her body language suggested that she was really comfortable around him. She didn't have her usually crossed-arm stance and death-eating glare.

"Who the fuck is that talkin' to Letty?" I asked, walking over to Vince.

"Um," he looked over. "Dayton, Dublin, Dallas, Denver…something, it's the same as a city. Starts with a D, I think. I don't really know."

Oh wow, that was not actually helpful information at all, not even a little bit. But I was surprised Vince could name so many cities that start with the letter D.

"He's been here before. Getting his car worked on and shit," Vince continued.

"And shit?" I repeated. What other shit besides getting his car repaired and upgraded would he want with Letty?

"Nah, I mean, just getting low scale mods. Nothin' big. I think he knows Let from school or something," Vince said, as if it was no big deal.

"Hm," was my only response. From school. I didn't like how comfortable they seemed. I sat down the work orders and started, slowly, making my way over to them.

"Whatchu gonna do?" Vince asked me, causing me to stop.

"Guess he's a customer. I'm gonna go figure out what he needs," I informed Vince. He just shook his head and went back to his work.

I would have to keep a close eye on this guy. I had a weird feeling that there was more going on besides just tune-ups and oil changes.

TBC

AJ


	14. Chapter 14

I approached them. Trying not to run, I think I moved particularly slow. But I just watched their interaction. Something about it was all wrong. I couldn't even pretend to believe that this was normal. But, I also didn't know what I was supposed to do. I mean, me and Letty were together. I hadn't asked her about her relationships while I was in Lompoc, but she alluded to the fact that she had always been there, waiting for me. What if she hadn't exactly told the whole truth? Could I really fault her for it? I mean it was two years. But, dishonestly, that stung. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions. Before I could work it out in my mind, I was in front of them. Just standing there. I had to say something because they had stopped talking and were just looking at me.

"What's up man," I said, trying to act like I didn't want to rip his head off and run over it with my car, then back up and run over it again. And, just for good measure, flip it to drive and run over it a third time.

"Hey bud," he replied.

"So what can we do your for?" I asked him, looking between him and Letty.

"I was just telling my girl here that I don't really know what's going on with the car. I mean, it's got some kinda weird smell coming from it, especially after I park it."

I just nodded. This guy didn't have a clue. But he also said 'my girl' in reference to my girlfiend and that wasn't exactly something I was comfortable with.

"Alright, well based on that, it could be a number of things. We'll take a look at it and let you know what we find," I told him, praying that he'd just give me the keys and get the hell out of dodge.

"Okay, dude, well," he said, looking between me and Letty. I had a mental image of punching him in the face and it made me smile to myself. I knew I would never act on it. But just the thought satisfied something inside me.

"Yeah, we'll take good care of your baby," Letty reassured.

"Oh, I knew you will," he smiled at her.

I just scrunched my forehead. I couldn't help think that the conversation about his car was over. He should leave now.

"You got some keys we can use?" I asked, trying to move this benign process along.

"Totally," he said, reaching into his pocket. "Here you go."

"Cool. We'll give you a call in a day or so. I'm assuming the shop's got your info?" I asked.

"Probably. Or Let's got my digits," he said.

Oh goody.

"But now I aint' got a ride to work," he said.

Hm, cry me a river. I saw two perfectly good legs. He could walk his lazy ass wherever the hell he needed to go. But I just stood back, observing.

"Where you goin?" Letty asked him.

Really? You're playing into this? I shot her a look, but she didn't make eye contact with me. Sketchy.

"Just up the road, corner of Essex's and Third," he told her.

Essex's and Third….not just up the road. More like up several roads about 10 miles.

"I'll drop you," she said.  
"You sure?"

"Hey, ain't no thing," she joked. "I think my boss'll cut me some slack," she said looking over at me smiling.

Think again. I didn't say anything. I was pretty sure that I'd been officially cut out of this conversation. But I'd be damned if I was leaving.

"Cool," he responded.  
"Just over here," she said, leading this douche over to her car.

I just stood there, watching. They continued some conversation as he followed her. They both got in her car.

"Hey, I'll be right back," she shouted over to me. As if that made any fucking difference.

I just nodded. I didn't want to make a big deal over this. I didn't know what it was yet. But I was definitely going to find out. I was not going to be made a fool of.

After they drove off, I looked back at the guy's car. I wanted to bash in the windshield. But that would really just mean that he would have to have his car in my shop for longer. I decided the best approach was to get his car in and out. Of course, 'it has a weird smell' gave me close to zero information. That could be breaks, cylinders, pedal-arms…really anything. It was going to take a lot of investigating to figure it out. Under normal circumstance I would have questioned the owner further. But I didn't really want to talk to this guy for too long.

I walked over and got in his car. I had to move the seat back to fit in the driver's seat. Shorty. I flipped it over, ignition igniting. Brittany Spears blasting through the stock speakers. Oh holy Lord. That just made everything so much worse. The least he could do is pretend to be a hard ass if he wanted to take my girlfriend.

I pulled it in and got out, ready to solve this mystery in as many ways as possible. I jacked up the front end, and unhooked the positive battery cable, the clutch cable and hydraulic slave cylinder. I suspected, based on the way it drove into my dock, that I may need to get the transaxle ready for removal. I had to remove multiple engine mounts to get the transaxle out- this guy had not taken very good care of his car. Of course, I didn't think about putting the oil pan below it, so I reaped the negative effects of that. But that was an easy problem to fix. After that I was able to take the engine away from the transaxle after I removed the bolts that were around the flywheel bell housing. I could then push away the transaxle from the engine. It didn't take long for the input shift to be clear of the pressure plate. The bolts from the pressure plate came out with very little work, so the clutch disc was easy to remove. I had to reinstall the flywheel because the friction surface was scored. But otherwise, I really didn't see any oil leaking and the needle bearings by the flywheel center seemed lubricated enough. To replace the clutch in this car, you really didn't need to remove the transaxle, which made it a lot easier. And since the input shaft wasn't leaking I knew it didn't need to be replaced.

I wheeled out from underneath, needing to get a different sized wrench and a cleaner cloth. Letty was back. I didn't know when she had gotten back. She was talking with Jesse until she saw me. She approached me. I didn't really feel much like talking, so I tried to avoid it. Of course, when Letty wants something, there is no avoiding her.

"Hey," she said to me, as I tried to walk past her.

I stopped and looked, but didn't say anything back.

"Do you need any help with that?" she asked, pointing to the Toyota.

"Do I need _help_ with it?" I asked, was she serious?

"It was just a question," she snapped back.

"Well here's another one, did you get your little friend wherever he needed to go?"

"My little friend?"

"Didn't know we provided transportation service here," I responded gruffly and walked away. I was going to get this bitch finished. I didn't care if I was putting other orders on hold. Something inside me needed to fix this and get it out of here.

I took out the flywheel and the old seal. It took me the longest time to find the right seal to install. The area that the parts were stored in the shop was so out of order. I needed to make a mental note to fix that at some point. Eventually, I found it and installed the new seal

"You wanna come with us to lunch or anything?" Leon asked, as I slid back under the car with my crawler.

"Nah," was all I said. I heard most everyone leave. I didn't even care to look at who was still there. I tried to keep my mind busy so I wouldn't care.

Before I could actually install the new clutch, I had to clean the crankshaft flange before putting in the flywheel. With the flywheel on top of the flange, I secured the bolts in a star formation to the specified torque for his fucking blue Toyota. Then I could finally install the clutch disc and pressure plate. But before I could put in the transaxle, I had to attach the new release bearing to the release fork. When the fork could move freely, at least I got some assurance that despite my emotions, I wasn't fucking up his vehicle. I was then able to hoist the transaxle into position and move it forward until the input shaft glided into the clutch disc's spindled hole. It was hard not to apply any force, because I wanted to apply force to this guy, one way or another. I reinstalled the bolts that I had taken out earlier. Then I could just grab a hold of the transaxle, release the jack, and lower this fucking car. I adjusted the clutch cables just to be extra cautious, I didn't want this joker coming back for any reason. Then, just for extra reassurance, I jumped in the driver's seat. I wanted to make sure that the clutch's self-adjusting action was performing correctly by depressing the slave cylinder's piston into its bore. I decided to drive it, but had to change the radio station first. It sucked with overall power, but at least the clutch was riding golden.

I drove around several blocks, not really telling anyone I was leaving. They would get the idea. It was turning dark. I didn't know how long it had taken me to finish this, but I'd work pretty steadily all day.

The rest of the week was pretty similar. I was trying to get back into the habit of going to bed early – or early for me, so before midnight – and getting to the garage for a full day of work. It wasn't long before it became second nature to me again. The garage got busier and busier as the week wore on. So Letty and I were more and more exhausted at the end of the day. We hadn't really talked a lot since before that first day back at the garage, and that guy coming in. I was trying to brush it off, act like I didn't care. But I was pretty sure she was sensing that something was wrong.

Before I knew it, it was 5:00 on Friday. The best time of the entire week. Time to close up the shop for a weekend of partying, racing, and relaxing.

"Alright guys, time to throw in the towel," I announced, taking off my coveralls. I couldn't wait to have a cold beer between my fingers and nothing on my mind.

"Got a couple of things to finish up with this engine," Jesse said, he and Letty looking up.

"Do what you gotta do," I told them. I sure was hell didn't feel like sticking around.

"Cool," he responded.

"Hey Let," I said, the first time I'd really spoken directly to her all day.

"Huh?" she said, not even looking up this time.

"Think fast," I said, tossing the keys to the garage over to her. She caught them, looking up at the last minute and being so fucking smooth. "Lock up when you're done."

"Kay," was the only response I got.

"You ready to take it to the fort?" Vince asked, totally ready to leave.

"Hell yeah," I told him. We both got in our separate cars and drove back to the house.

I couldn't make it to the refrigerator fast enough. I looked in, saw more than enough of those sparkling bottles with the golden liquid, and grabbed one with a quickness.

"Don't waste any time, huh?" Vince joked, coming into the house as I was popping off the cap and taking a long swig.

I didn't respond, just handed him one. He followed my actions and started in on his own.

"So what was going on with that Acura today?" I asked him, as we made our way over to the couch.

He just shrugged. "I dunno. I may not be as good at the car shit as the rest of y'all. But I am damn good at drinking beer," he commented, finishing off his first one.

I had to laugh. That boy was made for having a good time. I think that was what I loved most about Vince. He knew how to throw down and let loose.

"Want another?" he asked, as he walked into the kitchen.

"Do you even gotta ask?" I hollered back at him, finishing off mine as well. Things were getting better. All the stress of trying to run the garage, looking at the bills, paying the first mortgage I'd had to take care of in two years, and having that Letty thing in the back of my mind, had really been a load on me this week.

He returned with two and took his seat. I opened my second and started in on it with tenacity.

"So is there something going on between you and Let?" he asked, taking that second beer up to his lips like it was his job.

"I don't know," I told him, being truthful.

"Just seems like things have been weird between you two all week."

Well when Vince, definitely not the most perceptive one on the team, noticed something, I guess I wasn't as doing nearly as good a job at hiding my anger as I thought I was.

"Did she hook up with anyone while I was gone?" I asked him.

"Um…not that I know of."

I just shot him a look. He hesitated. What did that mean? Did it mean he was thinking? Or did it mean he wanted to keep something from me?

"I swear, brother. If she did I ain't got a clue. Never seemed like she did, at least around us. Did you ask her?"

"Not exactly. I just, I think she woulda said if she had, don't you?"

He shrugged again. "Maybe. Or maybe she wouldn't because you just got back and she didn't wanna bring up the past. I don't know."

"Hm."

"Who you think she hooked up with?"

"Remember that fuckin' douche that was in the garage on Monday? With the blue Toyota?"

Vince paused, obviously trying to remember.

"You said his name started with a D, like the same as a city."

"Oh yeah. You think she hooked up with him?" he asked, surprised by my suspicion.

"It's just the way they were acting was real weird. Real not like Letty."

"Well just ask her dawg. Then at least you'll know if you got anything to be pissed about or not."

He had a point. I did need to just ask her. Easier said than done though.

"So who you hookin' up with these days?" I asked out of curiosity, and also to change the subject.

"Who am I not hookin' up with!" he responded cockily.

I just let out a laugh of disbelief. "Yeah, whatever."

"Nah, seriously man. Seems like I been runnin' through those chasers like there's no tomorrow."

"Well that's cool. You actually like any of 'em or it's just a piece of ass?"

"With them," he scoffed, "just the ass. I have been tryin' to get with Collins, though. You remember her?"

I shook my head no. Collins….

"Collins Davis. She was in Mia's class. Blonde, fuckin' smart, rich family, huge boobs," he elaborated. But despite this very detailed description, that really could have been half the girls in LA, I had no clue who he was talking about.

"I got nothin'," I told him.

"Well she's fucking smokin'."

"Sounds like your kinda girl. What's the problem?"

"Shit," he laughs again. "Girl like that, ain't gonna give me the time of day."

"Have you tried?"

"Yeah," he said, uneasy.

"Have you _really_ tried? Or have you just made some lame-ass pickup line and expected her to fall down on her knees?"

"Um probably more the second one."

"Figured. Well maybe try actually trying and see if that gets you somewhere. Be nice and try to use some manners, like opening doors and stuff. Plus, girls love to talk about themselves so just stand there let her fuckin' go. She'll think you're sensitive or some shit."

"We gonna have a party here tonight?" he asked, finishing off his second beer at the same time as me.

"Sure. If you wanna try to get in this chick's pants," I smiled through my beer.

"Awesome," he said, going into the kitchen to get us another round.

As we finished off our third beers, Mia, Letty, and the guys all got home. The girls went off to get ready for the race. Vince and Jesse started playing video games. Leon wanted to talk about what was going on with the police scanner. I tried to listen. I kept zoning out. I just wanted to focus on nothing right now.

When I realized that I probably shouldn't drink anymore if I thought I might race, I took a shower and started getting ready to leave for the races. I went back in my room as Letty finished doing whatever it was that she did, to her hair.

"So is something up?" she stopped and asked me. I knew she was referring to the fact that I had been ignoring her all week.

"You tell me," I replied.

"Nope, not with me," she said matter-of-factly.

I just looked at her. "I ain't playing games. That's all I'm gonna say."

"Well shit. That's the most cryptic message I've ever heard," she said, slamming down her hairbrush.

"Guess I got my point across then," I said. I knew this was just going to make her madder but I didn't want to admit that I was uneasy about our relationship. That I may still had my doubts about whether or not she was really all in with me or not. So instead, I just avoided it. I know that I told her I would try to be more honest. But I can only change so quickly and this was not an area that was easy for me to change in.

We left for the races, driving separately.

As the team approached, we got the typical stares from the crowd. Despite what had happened between Letty and I, this helped boost up my ego several notches. I got out of the car and was greeted by a couple of girls. I had no idea who they were, but I was feeling friendly.

"Hey ladies," I said to them.

They started gabbing on about something. I didn't listen but just smiled at them, touching them in places that were safe enough not to get me in trouble, but fun enough that it would make the girls think they stood a chance.

"Dom, what are you doing?" she asked snidely.

"Just talkin'. Ain't like I'm trying to give 'em a ride anywhere," I told her.  
"Aw," one of the girls said, sounding disappointed. I smiled down at her and laughed, understanding my "ride" reference.

"Whatever," Letty said, and skulked off.

A group of anonymous white guys and girls was behind us. I didn't pay them any attention until I saw that same blue Toyota. Yet again, that caught my attention. He got out of the car and I was reassured that it was the same guy that had been at the garage. I looked around, I didn't see Letty.

"Yo, yo! What up D-train?" one of the other guys called towards Mr. Blue Toyota.

"Straight up chillin', yo. How's it hangin'?" he responded.

"You know, livin' the dream."

"Word."

"So, you workin' on getting with Letty again? Saw her over there. Hadn't seen you in a while but last I heard you guys were getting pretty hot and heavy."

This pretty much made me stop in my tracks. I had been trying VERY hard to hide the face that I was ease dropping on their conversation. But after this, I didn't care whether they knew or not. I didn't turn around and face them straight on. But I did try to get closer.

"Shit, I wish. She fuckin' left my ass," blue Toyota said to his friend.

"Aw, fuck dude. Yeah I heard she was fuckin' harder to get into than a Pearl Jam concert."

What the fuck? Who was trying to go see Pearl Jam?

"Eh, you win some, you lose some."

"I heard that."

"You racin' tonight?"

"Nah, just here for the festivities. You?"

"I got my boy James racin'. Should be interesting."

Yes it should.

TBC

AJ

A/N- A possible lie, an unattainable love obsession, and a street race, dum dum dum. And the plot thickens…

So obviously the next chapter could go in one of two directions. I kind of have a pretty good idea about where I think it should go. But any suggestions, comments, etc. are encouraged!


	15. Chapter 15

Needless to say, I was officially pissed. What the fuck was that? _Hot and heavy_. That could only mean one thing, at least in my mind. I didn't know who I wanted to kill first, Letty for lying, Vince for being stupid, or this guy for...everything. Guess I was going back to jail.

"What's up, man?" Hector said, walking up to me.

"How's it going," I said as he approached.

"You wanna race tonight?"

"Who all's running here? Anything to worry about?"

Hector looked around and shook his head. "Nah. These two are pretty regulars. But they ain't nothing you can't handle. Don't know much about this dude over here. But from the looks of his ride, you got it in the bag," he said pointing to the three other racers. One of them I identified as 'James'. I had to beat anyone associated with Mr. Blue Toyota.

I nodded, reaching into my pocket to grab the roll of money. I slapped it in his hand and made my way to the car.

The rise from the ignition, vibration from the motor, such a familiar feeling that I loved. But despite it all, I could not clear my mind. These were supposed to be my ten seconds of freedom. Although I tried, I couldn't be free from thoughts of Letty with another guy. Of Letty keeping secrets from me. '_I wasn't ever with anybody else. And, if you were, in prison, I'd rather not know about it,_' her words to me only a week ago echoed in my head. Liar.

I felt the blood in my veins reaching dangerous temperatures. I quickly pulled the car up to the line and slammed on the brakes, making the tires screech. It could barely be heard above all the music, though.

I looked out the window. I saw Letty with Mia. They were looking at the car and talking. I looked straight ahead. I needed to focus. Focus on the line. I could do this. I had to do this. Something inside of me knew that if I didn't win this race….well I was afraid of what might happen. Of what I would do. What I would feel.

"Go!" I heard some skank up ahead yell out. And as quickly as she said it, I was off. I pressed the gas down so hard my foot practically slammed into the pavement below. I changed gears. I wasn't even focused on the cars around me. Usually I would make sure I noticed where all the competitors were out of the corner of my eye. But this time, I was focused on the line. It was all I could see. Nothing else existed right now. That was the only way to get through this race. I had to block everything else out. I had to free myself from the bullshit.

And as quickly as it started, it was over. I knew I had won. I felt it the second I crossed the line. I didn't know where everyone else was in the mix. All I knew was that I had won. I needed to know that regardless of what else happens, I could still win the race. I braked and turned off my car. I hesitated for a second. I didn't want to get out. I didn't want to face the scene again. But I had to. The crowd was already rushing my car. And I wanted to collect my money.

I took a deep breath and reached for the handle. I opened the door carefully, trying not to hit any of the scantily clad women that miraculously appeared. Normally, I would have scanned the crowd until I found Letty. I found myself not doing that this time. I stood there, in a daze. It wasn't the amazement of winning. I was somewhat used to that feeling. It was that the rush was over. I was forced with facing reality now.

Hector approached. He slapped my hand, and a large stack of money followed. I accepted it, but didn't say anything. Everyone around me was smiling, happy.

The other racers, though looking pissed, were nearby to offer congratulations, or snide remarks. I just dared one of them to say something. Double dared.

Vince and Letty approached. Letty walked up, pushing past the other females, and embraced me. I didn't hug her back. I didn't kiss her. I didn't look at her. She knew instantly that something was wrong.

"What?" she asked.

I didn't answer.

"Congratulations brother. Another win for the team," Vince said.

I couldn't find the words to answer him either.

I walked up to Mia and handed her the money. She gave me a strange look, but didn't say anything. She just started counting the money. No one outside the team seemed to notice that I wasn't speaking, wasn't excited, wasn't acting like my usual cocky self. I was glad.

I tried to relax against Mia's car, pretending to act as her protector with the money. With the thrill of the race still thick in the air, music started playing and people started partying. No doubt another race would start as long as the cops kept their distance. But, for now, everyone was content to just stand around. I saw Letty talking to Vince out of the corner of my eye. Gee, I wonder if they were talking about me. Their poor attempts at being nonchalant were blown by the sheer number of times they both looked over at me. I didn't care. They could try to guess what was wrong with me all night.

Sometime when I wasn't looking, a familiar redhead approached me. She was petite, and her skin was pale. She had long bangs that practically covered her green eyes. She was pretty sexy. And I was pretty mad. I couldn't remember her name. But that did not stop me from moving closer to her. Typically, this was not the type of girl I would usually be in to. But tonight, who knew what I wanted?

"Congratulations," she said to me. Her dark leather skirt was so short, I thought that if I looked close enough, I could definitely see her ass.

I didn't verbally respond. I just smiled and folded my arms.

She lifted up her index finger, bending it, willing me to come closer to her. I stepped a bit closer and she pressed her body up against mine. She stood up on her toes and whispered into my ear.

"Are you here with anyone?" she asked.

Well, wasn't that just the question of the night? I knew I was. I knew what I needed to say. But damn if my pride didn't always get in the way of what I was supposed to do.

I just let out a small laugh. "Why?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper.

"Well, someone needs to properly reward you," she said seductively.

Despite how much I loved Letty, this was definitely something I missed. Getting hit on my random hot chicks just for winning a race. Money and sex. What could be better?

"I'm right here," I said to her, unfolding my arms. "Reward me."

She pressed herself up to me. I looked at her. Then down her shirt. Nice.

"Maybe we could go somewhere a little more…private," she said pressing against my crotch.

Damn. Why did I decide that talking to her would be a good idea? It would be practically impossible to pull this off. And I didn't want to cheat on Letty. I loved Letty. Shit, Letty. I looked around. The crowd was heavy and she was nowhere to be seen. I saw Vince in the distance, talking to another girl. I guess the rest of the team had dispersed into the ocean of people.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked her.

She stuck her hand in my front pocket. She reached over until she found my penis. Slowly, yet obviously, she started to stroke it. Shit. I had to get out of this situation. I couldn't do this. Not with her. Not here. Not now. I reached over and grabbed her hand. No sooner had I removed it from my pants than I heard a familiar voice.

"Red's a good color for you," Leon said, coming up from behind.

I nodded in agreement. The girl paused, confused.

"Shut the fuck up," Letty said to both Leon and myself. I hadn't even noticed her with Leon until now.

"Who are you?" the redhead asked Letty. Wrong question to the wrong girl. I knew what was coming.

"I'm about to be your worst nightmare if you don't back the fuck off, bitch," Letty said, getting right up in the redheads face.

"What?" she asked full of confusion, but backing up.

"Yeah, pretty sure you heard me. Get the fuck out of here," she said, getting closer and balling her fists.

"Go to hell," the redhead said, walking off.

"Just as long as you won't be there, skank," Letty yelled back to her.

She turned to face me.

"Where have you been?" I asked her, knowing the conversation was about to go nowhere good fast.

"What do you think you're doing?" Letty angrily asked me.

I shrugged, brushing off her question for a much bigger issue. "You obviously did fuck him. I'm just wonderin' why you had to keep it some big secret. Makes me wonder if you're still fucking him."

"Fucked who?" Letty asked incredulously.

"Douche bag from earlier. The guy with the Toyota." I knew from her expression that she understood who I was referring to.

"Wow." That was all she said. She had a surprised flare to her voice, but not nearly as much emotion as I would have thought. That was probably a bad sign.

"That's it? 'Wow'?" I couldn't believe it. Wow. That was it. That was all she had to say?

"Sorry that my reaction didn't meet your standards- reactions are funny in the way that I don't give two shits about what you think when I respond to something," she said, her temper beginning to flare.

"You know what, forget it. Ain't nothin' worth all this," I said and turned around to leave. No relationship was worth the massive amounts of effort that I had already poured into this one. This kind of embarrassment. This kind of anxiety. This kind of disappointment. If this is what relationships got me. Fuck it. I was going back to one-night stands and racer chasers.

Letty finally got it. She realized what I'd meant. I honestly meant that our relationship wasn't worth this argument. She growled loudly, "I did not fuck him!"

Mia's resurfaced from the crowd and looked up at us sharply. She hadn't been paying attention until this loud announcement. Of course much of the crowd had now heard and was starting to gather around for the inevitable show. Mia's mouth widened. "Excuse me?" she said to both of us.

Letty finally controlled herself enough to consider responding. She looked at me, at Mia, at the crowd. Anger was still in her voice when she said, "I don't know who you got your information from. But, Dayton and I are not fucking. Period. End of story!"

"I didn't say that you _are_ fucking him, I said you _did_ fuck him. What? I gotta worry about you jeepin' behind my back now?"

A crowd of bystanders had quickly assembled and were closely watching the entire encounter. I was so angry that I could pretty much only see red.

"Jesus, Holy Hell! Dayton and I," she repeated, "do not and have not done any version of the word fucking. EVER!"

"Well damn you don't have to act like the world would end," Dayton responded from the sidelines, obviously offended.

"Oh it would be the end of your world," I told him, walking towards him, still ready to kick his ass. He hooked up with her. He deserved to die. I was mad and looking to take it out on his face.

He noticed me approaching him and began to back up. What a pussy. I heard Mia yelling for me to stop. That was nothing new.

"Why do you always have to be such a fucking asshole?" Letty yelled at me. That got my attention. Why was I being an asshole? All of my past sexual escapades were pretty much out there for the world to see – in fact many of them were standing around right now. But Letty knew about that. And I obviously hadn't had sex while I was in Lompoc. That…well that needed no further explanation. She was the one that was lying. Keeping secrets. And I was the asshole? What kind of a mixed up parallel universe was this?

"Me?" I said, a mixture of shock and rage. "I'm the asshole in this?" I was facing her now. For the first time since the interaction started I was actually taking notice of the large group around us. I was never one to invite very many people into my business. And I sure as hell wasn't going to break up with my girlfriend in front of the entire street racing scene of Los Angeles.

"Yeah. You're the asshole in this."

"Because it kinda seems to me like you're the one being the crazy fucking bitch," I yelled back.

"Jesus! Get fucking bent, Toretto." With that, she shot me the bird and walked off.

"OOOO," called out the entire crowd as Letty walked away.

Damnit! I yelled this to myself. Inside. I did not want everyone to see how emotional this was making me. How much I wondered if, by letting her walk away, if she was walking out of my life. I didn't want to lose her. Despite everything. Losing her would be the worst thing that could happen to me. Damnit! I wanted to punch something. Or someone. I looked around. Dayton was long gone. That was smart of him. I rubbed my face and shook my head. The crowd was still standing around, looking, awkwardly. Fuck. I walked away from the center of the group.

"Dom, Dom," I heard Vince yelling after me.

I turned to face him, still steamed.

"You okay?" he asked, after we had made an escape from the crowd.

"Am I okay? Am I okay? No I'm not fucking okay. Why did you lie to me?" I asked, approaching him. He lifted up his hands in defense, backing up against the wall of an abandoned building. "Why, huh? Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" I continued to yell.

"I didn't know, Dom. I swear to you, brother. I didn't know."

I backed up, out of his face. I rubbed my head. Tonight was so fucked up. I didn't want to hit Vince.

"Honestly, Dom. And to tell you the truth, brother, I still don't know. What did you find out?" he asked.

I shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it. I needed to leave. There were too many people here. And I was feeling too many emotions. That was going to end badly. I needed to just get away.

"Where are you going?" he called after me.

"Make sure Mia gets home okay," I yelled back, ignoring his question.

I got in my car. It took a couple of unique maneuvers, but I made it past all the cars and all the onlookers without having to talk to anyone. I just needed to cool off. What had just happened? Had I read the signs wrong? Or had I just been made a fool of?

I loved Letty. I really did. But right now, I hated love. With a passion.

I just drove.

That guy? She hooked up with that guy? He was such a tool. What could she even have seen in him? How could she like a guy like that, and then a guy like me? That made no sense.

Had there been signs all this time that I had missed?

She had said she wasn't with anyone while I was gone. But clearly that was a lie. I tried to think back. To wrack my brain. There was the shirt. The random shirt that was in the back of her car the night I made that run for Tran right after I got out of Lompoc. Was that _his_ shirt? It had to be. I knew something was suspicious about that. But she had been too busy getting mad at me for me to bother saying anything about it. Yes, the signs had been there the whole time. Did I not see them until now? Or did I just not want to see them until now? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, I was far past the road to hell at this point. I was smack dab in the center of the flames.

I turned the music up loud to drowned out my thoughts. I was driving aimlessly. I didn't know where I was going or where I wanted to head. I didn't know what was going on. How had things gotten so out of hand? Did Letty and I just break up? She certainly seemed mad enough.

After about an hour of driving, I was calmer. But I still didn't want to go home. I didn't want to see Letty. I didn't know what to say. I had so many questions floating around in my head. I had no clue how to even start. I needed time.

Before I knew it, I was at the garage. My car had brought me here, not my brain. I guess it was just familiar. Of course it was also crawling with memories of Letty. I guess after so long, everywhere was filled with memories of her. That was when I noticed it. Someone was inside the garage. I saw a shadow moving around.

What the hell? No way would someone have the balls to break into our garage. But sure enough, there was someone in there.

I got out of the car, closing the car door quietly so as not to draw any attention to myself. I walked up to the door of the garage. There was a gun in the office. I used to carry one in my car. Seemed like something I may need to start doing again.

I reached for the doorknob. The door was unlocked. I couldn't imagine why. But, I was gonna kill whoever forgot to lock up today. I turned the knob slowly, the shadow did not seem to notice my presence.

I slipped into the office and reached into the top drawer of the desk. The gun was there. I grabbed it and quietly cocked it before leaving the office to find the intruder. I saw the shadow move again. They had a faint light coming off of something in their hand, but otherwise the shop was totally dark. I lifted the gun and pointed directly at the figure.

"We're closed," I said sternly to the imposter, calling attention to myself. They turned. I knew they were facing me directly. The gun reflected in the moonlight that was seeping in through one of the bay doors.

"Dom put the fucking gun down," Letty said with an annoyed tone.

"Letty?" I asked, noticing her voice immediately. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked in response.

"I thought someone was breaking in," I said, pressing the decocker towards the magazine until I heard a click. Then I put the gun down.

"I was playing Solitaire," she said, showing me her phone. I guess the light coming from the "trespasser" was Letty playing games on her phone.

"Why're you at the garage?" I asked her, leaning against the hood of the closest car.

She hesitated. I waited. "Needed to think. And I wasn't ready to see you yet," she responded.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked. I wasn't sure if Ieven _wanted_ to stay.

She didn't respond. She turned from me, walking over and turning on a lamp from a nearby table. The lamp did not create much light. But enough to see more clearly. She looked upset. Letty wasn't a crier but her eyes were red. She still hadn't spoken a word.

"What the fuck is your problem?" she let out, totally breaking the silence with her harsh words.

I just shook my head out of frustration. I couldn't believe this. This was still my fault in her eyes? She was crazy.

"What could you possibly be smiling about?" she asked bitterly.

"You lied about fucking some other dude. You can't possibly be getting mad at me!" I told her, my voice raising with each word.

"Dayton? Jesus fucking Christ, Dom. We have a business relationship. That's it," she said, as if that offered any explanation.

"Oh yeah? Getting 'hot and heavy' with someone, what kind of business is that?"

"Mine!" she replied sternly.

"Fine!" I said, throwing up my hands. "I ain't gonna pry in your business. If that's the way you want it then I'm done." I didn't really know what I was saying. Words were just coming out. I wasn't really thinking. But what other response could I offer this? I wasn't going to keep things up with her if she was going to lie, and then get mad at me about it. I thought I really cared for her. But this was just not something I was willing to do.

"Just like that, huh?" she exasperated.

I just shrugged.

We both just stood there in silence. Was she not going to say anything else?

"I guess I'm just going back to the house then," she said, finally breaking through the silence.

"Okay," I responded half-heartedly. I was about to flip my shit. If I went back to the house right now, or anywhere with people, I was probably going to get in a fight. No, I was definitely going to get in a fight. I didn't really care who I fought. I just felt an intense desire to break a nose.

"Okay, what?" Letty asked

"What? You got nothin' to say about all the shit that's gone down?"

"I mean? Do you want me to say I'm sorry or something? Because I didn't do anything wrong. Despite whatever you think, I haven't lied to you. Anything that happened when you were gone wasn't a lie. We weren't together. And it ain't like you have ever asked me about my relationship with other guys. I know I never asked you. And trust me, I don't wanna know your numbers. But I didn't lie about it. We just never had the conversation."

In a way, she had a point.

I was still furious. But she was right. We hadn't had that conversation. And I wasn't so sure that I wanted to either. I mean, after all of this, I was definitely suspicious, curious about other guys she had been with, "hooked up", whatever she wanted to call it. But after the way I wanted to react to Ohio, it was probably safer for everyone if I didn't know. I wasn't sure I could control my curiosity. I definitely did not want to share my list. Definitely not. That would surely only make the relationship worse.

"I ain't still hangin' out with my list though," I told her.

"Are you fucking kidding me? How about every Friday and Saturday night at the races and then after every race at _our_ house? What about those times? All those skanks and chasers that follow you guys around like you're gods. You've hooked up with…well, enough of those girls to know what's goin' on there."

Fucking shit. Again, good point.

"You keep saying that nothing's happened but now you want to talk numbers?" I asked.

"No, all you kept saying was that I'd fucked him. We didn't have sex, Dom. So, I never lied to you. I have no clue what you have heard. But you better check your story."

"What happened between you two?" I said. I wasn't playing this back and forth game any longer. If I had my story wrong, she could fix it for me.

"Well I guess it depends on what your definition of sex is, really."

Frustration took over and I couldn't help but laugh, "how many damn definitions of sex do you have?" This was not exactly the way I was hoping the story would start.

"I really don't wanna get into the details with you about this, Dom. Me and Dayton didn't have 'vaginal intercourse', okay?"

Wow, that was not something I ever wanted to hear coming out of her mouth. Of course, I suppose it was better than the alternative of her actually having sex with another guy- or vaginal intercourse. The idea of Letty even giving some other dude a blowjob was way too much for me to handle.

"We hooked up one time. I was way too drunk. You'd been gone for like a year. I came to visit you with Mia and you told me that I needed to move on from you. I have never been ready to move on from you. But that night I was upset about what you said, and drunk, and…stupid apparently. I'm pretty sure he probably told everybody about it. It never happened again. We never even kissed except that one night. I don't know what his friends think or anything. But that's honestly what went down."

"Anything else I should know?"

"No."

"That's seriously the only thing that happened between me and him. Or between me and anybody while you were gone. I've never wanted anybody but you," her tone lightened. But I could tell she was still kind of pissed.

"Well…" I said, starting to respond. "Good." I smiled at her.

"But, I mean Jesus. I'm still pissed. You hear some random gossip and just flip shit. But yet, you're allowed to have a past, and flirt with anything in a skirt. I mean, what does that really make us, Dom?" Letty asked, starting to pace a little.

"I don't know. Why do we gotta put a label on it? Can't we just keep things like they are?"

"God, you're such a guy. You wanna just keep randomly hooking up with me and every other girl in LA!"

"That's not what I said."

"Well, yeah, it kind of is."

"Not _every other girl in LA_," I said, trying to emulate her voice, but really just making fun of her.

"Shut up, that's not how I sound," she responded curtly.

I smiled. God she got mad so easily. I loved it. She was so hot when she was mad. She got this sexy, huffy look on her face. Her lips became pouty. I definitely liked fucking mad Letty. That thought made me smile wider.

"No," I said, walking up to her and putting my large hands around her small waist. "Just us, together."

TBC

Probably just one or two more chapters for the story. Thanks for keeping with me all this time!

AJ


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